


Tiny Steps to Big Leaps

by Distracteddiddlin



Series: I Wouldn't Have to go to These Lengths if the Game Just let me use "They" Pronouns [5]
Category: Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns
Genre: Developing Relationship, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, NB Farmer, Other, Wet Dream, oh it's fucking started now, rating and tags will update, surprise parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:14:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 26,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21828037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Distracteddiddlin/pseuds/Distracteddiddlin
Summary: Me while writing this months ago: what if I did that that Ford/farmer fic againbut with atwist?Basically it's what if Ford accidentally became a single dad after the farmer meets him
Relationships: Ford/Holly | Nanami (Story of Seasons)
Series: I Wouldn't Have to go to These Lengths if the Game Just let me use "They" Pronouns [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1304576
Comments: 16
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

Jay had known the local doctor for a while.

This was a lie.

It _technically_ had been nearly a year. He was severe at times, and blunt most others, his serious appearance and attitude an effective barrier for most residents that might attempt to seek a friendship with him. But not for Jay, after a few times anyways. It felt odd not to be neighborly and say hello to him as well when they were stopping by Miranda, or even Lisette's shop, despite his brusque replies. One day when they dropped by the restaurant they were dragged into judging whether Ford's response was appropriate, at the behest of Wayne and Brad. They saw the slightest flicker of insecurity in his eyes, and couldn't keep themselves from saying that it made sense from his professional perspective.

Brad and Wayne wasted no time ribbing them over it, joking that they didn't know what they were going to do with _two_ people so hopeless when it came to love.

But oddly Ford been a bit less cold towards them afterwards, and didn't always clam up after idle pleasantries when Jay dropped by after that for a chat. On the odd occasion they ran late and interrupted his lunch, they began to find themselves included in these meals.

He was a touch more adamant about staying to eat after they'd done him a favor, cooking for him when he'd missed his usual meal time, feeling oddly like he owed them that much in return, as well as feeling the need to prove to them that his missing a meal was truly unusual.

The day Jay fainted at the entrance to the town was stressful for them both. Ford had tried not to get personal, but he felt oddly panicked when the farmer had collapsed in the town square in front of him, and he was more fiery than normal when advising them upon waking. Jay had tried not to show how insulted they were, but it must've been apparent on their face, for he apologized nearly immediately, admitting they'd scared him, and that perhaps he was being a little rash in his scolding. They promised to take things slower in the future, if in return Ford promised to never scold them like a child again. They were surprised more by the chuckle, and smile he gave at that, than by the fact he eventually conceded to hold their hand to help them sleep.

* * *

Ford had known the new farmer for a little bit. Not… particularly long, but he'd found himself drawn quite near to them almost peculiarly quick. They had become a member of his small circle of friends, rising to be on par with Brad and Wayne in closeness in almost the same fashion. They had inserted themselves into his life quite regularly, chatting him up whenever they came to town regardless of how short he was with them.

It didn't escape his notice how Jay had quite quickly built up their farm, going from one spot of land to several on their little farmland, and their crops similarly quickly earned the admiration of folks in the three nearby towns. It would be folly to say Ford was not among those impressed by the care put into their crops, though his was based towards nutritional content, rather than vibrancy, or taste, though he had to admit they excelled in those categories as well.

Ford… had no idea why he behaved the way he did when they sought shelter from the rain. He'd been… oddly preoccupied with entertaining them, attempting to impress them via refreshments. From elephant dung to particularly sour brews, he'd picked the drinks he'd felt in his humble opinion were most impressive, and was annoyed with himself when he realised of _course_ they weren't as interested as he. He considered himself lucky Jay didn't seem to mind these missteps, and oddly relieved they would rather he not go to any extra effort to entertain them.

He’d given them a smile as he bid them farewell when they went back to their errands when the rain had passed, but he couldn’t keep it up once they’d left. Oddly he felt what could be almost described as a... _longing_ when they left. He supposed he’d been a bit lonely for company, and that was why he wished there had been an excuse for them to stay just a bit longer. He soon dismissed these thoughts and went back to his work as always however, there was always next time, he had told himself


	2. Chapter 2

Jay and Ford had known each other for just over a year, but... that never stopped the gossip.

* * *

"The two of 'em might actually be worse than Frank and Miranda, if we're being honest," said Wayne one afternoon.  
"I never thought I'd see the day, but I think you're right," said Brad.  
"I don't know if I can take two sets of folks sending longing glances across the plaza every other day," said Wayne.  
"Guess it's up to us then."  
"Oh come on, I'm sure they'll work it out themselves… probably."

* * *

"If I visit before Jay has, he always asks if I've seen them yet, he's like a lost puppy half the time," said Wayne.  
"He actually went to their house for dinner last week," said Brad.  
"The scandal," whispered Wayne in a mock scandalized tone.  
"They'll have to get married to fix their reputation," joked Brad.  
"A winter wedding, how nice," said Wayne.

* * *

"Have you seen the looks they've been giving each other?" Asked Wayne.  
"I think I got a cavity last time I was in the same room as the two of them," said Brad.  
"Have you ever seen Ford smile so much?"  
"I thought it was gas at first," admitted Brad.  
"He doesn't…… smile that often, does he?" Asked Wayne.  
"He's been doing it a lot more when the farmer comes by," Brad pointed out.  
"And they think they're being subtle," said Wayne.  
"I still don't know that they actually realize it yet…" mused Brad.  
"No. No way. They can't both be hopeless about love," insisted Wayne.  
"...How about this, we lock them up somewhere together for a few hours and get them to admit it."  
Wayne paused. "How about we keep that one on the back-burner for now?"  
"Spoilsport."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I _promise_ shit begins to pop off after this weird, short establishing bit


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a peaceful few weeks, perhaps _too_ peaceful, if the events that followed were anything to go by.

* * *

It was dark when it all began.

Ford awoke a couple hours before dawn, roused by an insistent knock at his door, and ringing of his bell. But when he reached the door, the air was still, and not another soul could be seen on the street as he peered curiously down the way, wondering who had left the parcel he now saw was on his step.

It was when he went to pick up the package, and a baby's cry arose from within, that he knew it was no normal midnight delivery on his doorstep.

Things... did not go any less oddly after that.

Neither parent could be located, nor were there _any_ leads really as to whose family she belonged. All she was found with was the blanket in which she was swaddled, and box she had been sheltered in. Not even a note, or a nametag was to be found to offer any clues.

To make matters, well, _more_ strange, there was no one else whom could foster the child. There were no nearby foster homes, the closest being more than a day's journey away, and anyone who Ford thought would be better suited was suddenly unable to take them on, for one reason or the other.

Which was how the local doctor suddenly found himself on his own with a small infant.

* * *

"I would have thought by now they would have gotten tired of this idle chat," Ford grumbled one afternoon.

"Oh? Are you saying it's untrue?" Jay teased playfully.

" _Of course it is!_ "

"Really? Cause she kinda has your eyes…"

" _She is not my lovechild!_ " Ford hissed ferociously.

Jay backed down immediately. "Okay. Okay. I'm sorry for teasing," they apologized

Ford continued to frown, but his ire deflated at their apology. "I apologize for snapping like that. It's… been stressful… and I can't seem to grasp why they find it so entertaining."

"...They might be trying to make sense of why _you_ were chosen specifically," said Jay, attempting to soothe

Ford tried not to let the insult show on his face.

" _I don't mean you're not fit for it_ , I mean… someone who was or is a parent seems like a more obvious choice, is all I'm getting at."

Ford sighed, his frown slowly shrinking. "I… do see your point. Perhaps they were concerned with her health when they decided to leave her."

"Have you found anything worrying with her?"

"No, not to my knowledge."

"......Maybe you were the only one they knew they could trust with her. Being the only doctor around here makes you kind of a public figure, Ford."

"Hmm."

"Or they played eeny meeny miney mo, we can't say for sure," added Jay.

Ford sighed, glancing down at the small girl. "I think that one makes the most sense out of everything, oddly enough."

Jay giggled quietly. "Whatever their reason, she's here with you now," they said.

"Mmmm, I suppose you have a point."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we poppin off now  
> also this was supposed to be two separate chapters but I mushed them together for reasons


	4. Chapter 4

At this point Ford felt fit to cry as well. Rhea, (the name having been thrust onto the child by suggestion, and Ford having no better inspiration, went with it) had spent so much of the morning crying. He'd assumed she would tire herself out at some point. 

So far he'd assumed wrong.

His eardrums throbbed as he considered her. Feeding, changing, and burping had all been ruled out by that point, none of which had caused her to stop her crying for longer than a few minutes at best. He'd even attempted to distract her with silly faces, and he didn't know if he was relieved or not that this too had failed. Ford was very on edge when he heard the front bell ring while Rhea was pausing between wails for a breath.

"Uh, hi Ford!" Jay half-shouted over Rhea's wailing when they walked in. "Everything alright?!"

"Not particularly!" Ford yelled back.

"Has she been crying long?"

"All morning!" Ford frowned as he yelled this, frustration oozing out of every pore.

"...Around what time?" Jay asked.

"After I dressed her!"

Jay gave him a tiny smile, and gestured for him to hand her over.

With a frustrated groan he did so, kneading at his throbbing forehead as soon as his hands were free.

"Sh sh shhhh," Jay murmured, gently unbuttoning and taking off her onesie as she thrashed.

Almost immediately she stopped wailing, hiccupping as she sniffled a little, but so much quieter than before.

"....... _How?_ " Ford asked, his face blank with incredulity.

Jay shrugged. "I've never seen her in this onesie before, and you said the issue started when she got dressed. Sensory issue seemed like the best guess." Jay smiled at Rhea, blowing a soft raspberry to her belly as she settled down. "Also I was a nudie kid so."

Ford sighed deeply, exhaustion etched on his features at only ten in the morning. "...How did I miss that?"

"...You had a small infant screaming in your ear all morning?" Jay replied.

Ford grumbled to himself.

"Headache?" They asked.

" _You have no idea_ ," Ford grumbled.

"...You gonna take something for it or?"

Ford sighed in annoyance. "Yes, that would, erm, probably be for the best…" 

"I can dress Rhea in a different outfit, if you'd like."

"...Would you? They're in the purple crate upstairs."

"Haven't made room in the dresser for her clothes yet, Ford?" Jay teased as they passed him.

"There is little point in it when she isn't staying," Ford tersely replied. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Jay cooed at Rhea as they went to the container of clothes, picking out a yellow colored one they recalled her wearing previously. Rhea giggled as they tickled her while dressing her, the play doing little to help wrangle her into the clothing aside from settle her down some more. "Who's a little troublemaker? Is that you Rhea?" Jay cooed at her as they came back downstairs.

"Please don't encourage her. I don't need _more_ issues."

"What does it matter if she's not staying with you long?" Jay pointed out.

Ford blushed, and bristled so slightly at this. "...It's still not a good idea to encourage troublemaking habits."

"I'll try not to give her any ideas," giggled Jay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's _my_ fic and I get to choose the very bad posting schedule


	5. Chapter 5

" _Holy **shit** Ford, _what happened?" Jay exclaimed when they caught sight of him.

" _Language_ ," he hissed, glancing towards Rhea, napping on her blanket.

"Sorry."

He winced as he applied the cold pack to his bruised eye. "I... accidentally panicked trying to get Rhea away from hazardous supplies and… hit my head on the counter," Ford mumbled.

Jay winced in sympathy. "Ouch. Where, um, are your glasses?..."

Ford sighed. "...I managed to somehow drop them, and lose track of them…"

"...Want any help?" Jay asked.

"...If you don't mind… I'd greatly appreciate it," Ford mumbled, embarrassed to need the help.

"Whereabout did you lose track of them?"

"Ah… by the kitchen sink. Thank you."

Jay waved it off. "Don't sweat it. It's no problem. 'Sides, I think you're the only person I know with a stronger prescription than me."

Ford chuckled absently. "How exactly did that happen? You're much too young for it."

Jay snorted as they searched under the counter. "Exactly how old do you think I am, Ford?"

"Erm… if I had to hazard a guess, nineteen?"

Jay laughed, glancing back at him before moving on to under the table and chairs. 

"Well I don't exactly have your file in front of me. How far off was I?"

"Now I almost don't want to tell you," Jay murmured. They glanced back at Ford again, and their resolve faltered almost instantly at the small frown on his face. "......I'm 26," they eventually said.

"......Oh. I was off by a _bit_ , it would appear."

"Don't get yourself down. I've got a babyface. Even my own parents don't know my age anymore- ah, here they are." Jay smiled as they gave them back to him. "Here you go."

"What do you mean they- Ah, thank you. I'm not sure what I would have done if you hadn't offered to help me. You have my thanks."

Jay reddened so very slightly at his praise. "Don't mention it Ford, I'm-"

" _Holy-_ what did ya do to your face Ford?"

Neither Ford nor Jay had noticed Wayne's arrival, though Rhea now did, as she began to wake from her nap and fuss.

Jay shook their head with a smile, dusting off absently as they began to walk out. "Well you always coulda asked Wayne. See you guys," said Jay, already heading downstairs.

"Asked me what?" Asked Wayne.

Ford quietly shook his head. "It's not important, Wayne."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> minor warning, there is a small scene involving misgendering in this chapter, just a heads up

"No way," said Brad.

"He _could_ ," retorted Wayne.

"There's _no way_ he gets the nerve to ask them first, it'll be like their first year again, Jay'll approach him."

The two friends argued quietly with one another as they watched Jay sit at one end of the clearing, clearly waiting for Ford to appear.

All three ended up gawping when they finally spotted him. Wayne and Brad gave each other worried looks as Ford strode in, Rhea in one arm, and a lady they had never seen before at his other. 

Jay was the last to notice, walking over as soon as they spotted Ford, before they noticed the woman. So startled at this, their foot caught on the edge of the dancefloor in their distraction, and they fell with a ludicrously loud squawk. 

Ford's head snapped up immediately at the sound of distress, already striding over before anyone, even Jay, could react. " _Jay_. What happened?" He asked.

Jay was already blushing in embarrassment at the attention of everyone nearby. "I wasn't watching where I was going, that's all," they meekly reassured.

Ford sighed, giving them a look of mild disapproval. "Perhaps you should keep that in mind?" He gently chastised them, offering them his free hand.

Jay flashed him a weak smile. "I'll try to remember it- nnngh!" Jay groaned in surprise, wincing heavily as soon as they put weight on the foot that had gotten caught on the floor.

Ford's worried look deepened at that. "Your ankle…" he muttered.

Jay sighed. "Sprained. _Of course_ ," they muttered.

"...It would be for the best if-"

"If I didn't dance today," Jay finished. "Got it, Ford."

Ford himself gave a mildly exasperated sigh. "Let me help you to a seat," Ford insisted, shifting Rhea in his arms so they could use him for support.

"......Thanks," Jay mumbled as soon as they sat down.

Ford opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

" _Dr. Ford!_ They're getting everyone ready for the dance!" Insisted the young woman, nervously playing with her skirt.

Jay remembered seeing her around before, usually around the clinic. They noticed her hanging by nervously close when Ford helped them back up, and she'd followed them to their seat. "You don't want to stand up your dance partner. I can keep an eye on Rhea for you, not like I'll be dancing myself," said Jay.

Ford considered this for a moment. "Erm, thank you," mumbled Ford, gingerly handing Rhea over before he made his way to his position on the dancefloor.

"I think I might cry," whispered Wayne.

Brad nodded in agreement. Both men's hearts sank as they watched Jay silently watch Ford prepare to dance with someone else.

* * *

As soon as the dancing ended, Ford was back into concerned doctor mode. Luckily he at least remembered to excuse himself as he left the young woman on the dancefloor, but still he left her quite suddenly to check on Jay (and Rhea, of course). Without a word he kneeled in front of them, inspecting their injured ankle carefully, checking to make sure it wasn't broken.

Jay gave a weak smile and waved at the woman as she stared at them from across the way.

"It's most certainly sprained, and has swelled up a little. You should be careful not to put too much weight on it for a couple days," said Ford. He cooed gently at Rhea as he picked her up off of Jay's lap as he straightened, giving Jay his usual severe doctor look as he stood in front of them.

Jay glanced tiredly up at Ford. "So... did you not get the memo about this being a date or did she misunderstand and think it was?"

Ford gave them a confused look. "What?" He simply asked.

"Both it is," Jay muttered to themself.

" _Dr. Ford_."

Ford jolted at his name, turning to face his dance partner, who was frowning up at him.

The young woman scowled, crossing her arms close to her chest. "Why did you even agree to accompany me if you already had someone else?" She hissed.

Ford was exceedingly confused. "I'm- ...I am afraid I don't understand? You indicated you wanted someone to dance with-"

" _Why_ ," she hissed. " _Did you agree to go out with me, if you had someone else?_ "

Realization slowly dawned on Ford's face. "Ah, you erm, this was supposed to be a romantic outing- ah, actually, Jay-"

The woman interrupted. " _You've been looking at **her** the entire time instead!_" She yelled.

Ford gave her a serious look. " _ **They**_ are just a friend-"

" _Why didn't you just come with **her** instead?_" Hissed the young woman.

Jay grimaced, standing carefully as they slowly began their escape while everyone else was distracted, not feeling up to being part of the incident.

They didn't get particularly far. And it didn't take long for any shouting to quickly fade out. A few minutes later the young woman ran by, her face furious. Jay was polite and pretended they hadn't seen her as she ran by, neither making eye contact. Ford caught up to Jay not long afterwards, before they got back to town. "Jay!" He yelled.

Jay sighed, and stopped. "Yeah?"

"I- wanted to-" Ford tried to talk to them, but was already out of breath.

Jay rolled their eyes, taking Rhea from his arms as he panted. "I'll wait. Take your time."

Ford gulped down air for another few minutes before he could speak without gasping. "I- ...thank you. I wanted to apologize for you being dragged into that… erm, incident. It appears I misunderstood a _few_ things this afternoon," he sheepishly admitted.

Jay sighed and shook their head. "Did you make sure to apologize to little miss smitten first? I think she deserves one more than me…" 

Ford grimaced. "She… left before I could offer a sufficient one…"

"I _noticed_. She passed me by a few minutes ago… Do you know where she might have gone?"

Ford sheepishly played with his glasses. "Not… off the top of my head. I don't know her particularly well…" 

"You should probably start looking for her then."

Ford frowned at them. "And what of you? Your ankle-"

"Even with you fussing I'll still be walking on it home. I'll _manage_ like I always do _,_ Ford," insisted the farmer.

Ford about puffed up at that, looking not unlike an angry chicken, minus the feathers. " _As your doctor_ -"

"Ford! Jay!" Shouted Wayne as he jogged up

Jay sighed. "Hey Wayne," they replied.

"Heya Jay. Ford, why aren't ya looking for the little lady you sent runnin off?" Wayne asked.

Ford scowled slightly. "I _need_ to-" 

"Ford unless you're gonna try and carry me home there's almost no point in you escorting me back," interrupted Jay.

Ford opened his mouth to rebuke them when Wayne stepped in. "I'll walk 'em home Ford, you should go find the lady you owe some explanations to," insisted Wayne.

Ford bristled at being brushed off like this before eventually deflating. He nodded absently and turned to go look for the young woman to whom he owed a debt of explanations.

"He's kinda dense for a doctor, isn't he?" Said Wayne as soon as Ford left their sight.

Jay sighed. " _I'll say_. He left his baby," Jay replied, shifting Rhea as she began to doze in their arms.

Wayne chuckled, offering the farmer his arm for support. "I'll return her to him for ya."

"Thanks Wayne."

"...You know… he didn't deny any of the accusations she made about his feelings for ya-" Wayne tried to say.

"-I can't believe I _tripped like that_ \- oh, sorry Wayne," bemoaned the farmer at the exact same time.

Wayne rolled his eyes as they started the walk back to the farm. "Nevermind. It's nothing to worry over," he said. "Let's just get you squared away, huh?"

Jay rolled their eyes. "Oh _bless you,_ kind samaritan, whatever can I do to repay you?" They teased.

" _Never_ do that voice again, for starters," said Wayne.

"I'm not allowed _any_ fun today? Darn it."

Wayne grimaced a little at that but chuckled. "Nope, not until you get back to your place. "

"Knew I'd made a mistake getting outta bed today," joked Jay.

"Well as soon as you get home you better fix that mistake," he replied.

"And here I thought Ford went the other way back to town," said Jay, rolling their eyes.

"I'm just the temporary stand-in to make sure you don't miss him too badly. I'm sure he'll check in on you again later," Wayne teased.

Jay rolled their eyes, shaking their head. "My hero," they said jokingly, pretending as if their heart didn't skip a beat at the thought of Ford dropping by to check on them.


	7. Chapter 7

Jay stared at the familiar face that greeted them on the porch. 

"I wanted to say sorry for yesterday," said the young woman.

Jay sighed quietly. "It's Bev right? Please, come in."

"Y- you don't need to-" Bev began to say, before distant thunder cracked and the rain poured harder.

"...I insist," said Jay, smiling wryly.

"......Thanks," she murmured. "Like I said, I wanted to-"

"Let me get you a towel. Oh! Also I just brewed some cocoa, if you're interested," interrupted Jay, leading her to the small sitting room before going to retrieve the towels. 

Bev faltered, caught off-guard mid-apology once more as she ended up meekly sitting on the couch and waiting for the farmer's return.

"Here," said Jay, tossing her the towel, "lucky for you the towels were part of the laundry that finished drying before the rain kicked up."

Bev nodded her thanks, drying off her hair and clothes as she desperately tried to get her train of thought back on track. "I- ...Dr. Ford eventually explained to me, I'm sorry for not knowing. You just looked like a w-"

Jay put up their hand to cut her off. "I look like _me_ , hon. But don't sweat it too hard, not gonna be the first and won't be the last to guess wrong. I know you didn't mean it when you were yelling it."

Bev winced. "I'm still sorry…" she mumbled.

"Water under the bridge hon," said Jay.

Bev gave an awkward, apologetic smile as she remained silent, staring down at herself.

"So... why this focus on getting a date?" Asked Jay.

Bev winced dramatically, not meeting Jay's eye for a tense moment. "I just… I needed to try to prove to my parents I'm not… broken."

Jay gave her a questioning look. "Broken?"

"I- 'm not much of a romance person…" Bev sheepishly muttered.

Jay shrugged. "So?"

Bev frowned at herself. "So it's not _right_. I'm _supposed to_ be attracted to _someone_ at _some_ point. I'm _supposed to_ want someone to love me. So I'm _supposed to_ be able to _love_ someone!" Bev angrily shouted.

The room fell silent for a few more tense moments, save for the pounding rain on the roof.

"Just like how I'm "supposed to" be a man or a woman?" Jay quietly replied.

Any tension left in the room immediately deflated. Bev leaned back against the couch and covered her face with a long and dramatic sigh.

"Cocoa?" Jay offered again.

"...Sure," said Bev. "...Do you know what I mean?" She sheepishly asked when Jay handed her the hot drink.

Jay sighed and gave the woman a weak smile. "Yes and no. It's not… entirely absent for me, just infrequent and far between. I kinda have to know a person for a while before I can begin to stomach exploring any sort've feelings like that," said Jay. "Now… in bed on the other hand… for some reason that's easier for me to envision," they chuckled.

Bev gave them a wide-eyed stare. "I thought it was just me," she whispered.

"Pffft, naw. I could give you a couple books and get you in touch with a couple people if you'd like more cogent or specific help on the topic. Can't say that it'll convince your folks, but it should at least help you work things out for yourself."

"You… don't have to do this…" mumbled the young woman.

Jay rolled their eyes and waved off her reluctance. "Like the information disappears after you learn it. It's offered freely hon, no catches or payback attached." 

Bev gave a weak but thankful smile, before taking a sip of the cocoa and grimacing. "That's, ah… and interesting take on cocoa," she murmured.

Jay gave her an odd look before taking a sip from their cup. "...Ah… that one was mine…" said Jay, laughing sheepishly and trading mugs with the young woman.

"How did you know my name?" Asked Bev after a few minutes.

"Oh, Ford told me it the other day," Jay casually replied.

Bev nodded absently, considering her cup of cocoa. "So… what is the deal with you and Dr. Ford?" Asked Bev after a bit.

Jay paused, somewhat taken aback. "Our "deal"?" They asked.

"I mean like… you two seem… close," Bev clarified.

Jay felt their cheeks heat up unexpectedly. "I… hmm. We're good friends? I'm… not sure what else you're expecting…" replied Jay, stuttering softly.

Bev pursed her lips, not entirely buying it. "Yeah, but you guys spend a lot of time together," she pointed out.

Jay tried to shrug casually. "We just enjoy each other's company."

Bev had to roll her eyes at that, letting the room fall silent for a few minutes. "You know, Dr. Ford _did_ mention he'd been hoping to have another dance with you this year," she casually brought up.

"...He did? Er- …well maybe there'll be another chance later this year," Jay mumbled, their face growing redder.

Bev smiled smugly. "I'm sure he'll enjoy that."


	8. Chapter 8

Rhea's crying greeted the farmer as they entered the clinic that morning, an occurrence they were already growing used to. "Fussy morning?" They asked.

"You could say that," Ford sighed, rocking Rhea in his arms. "I… could use a second opinion… I suppose," Ford said, embarrassment creeping into his countenance as he did.

Jay gestured for him to hand her over. "I'll see what I can do." They giggled as they juggled her carefully in their arms as she thrashed in annoyance, her crying not letting up as they did. "Already gone through the usual checks?" Jay asked.

"Fed, changed, burped, etcetera," Ford mumbled.

"Hmmmmm," Jay murmured to themself. "Hey there Ree-Ree, I don't wanna ask, but are they coming in already?" They murmured, gently tickling her chin.

Rhea sniffled, grabbing their fingers with her chubby hands and shoving them in her mouth and biting down.

Jay had to bite their lip to muffle their pained yelp, their eye twitching as they did. "That answers that," Jay squeaked. Gently they extricated their finger from Rhea, who began to fuss as soon as her mouth was unoccupied again. "...She's teething, Ford, already has a couple starting to poke out."

Ford had watched the entire scene play out, somewhat dumbfounded, and shook his head as he snapped out of it when he was addressed. "I, ah… see." He took her back gently. "I… think I may have some toys suited for that, I believe Miranda included some the last time I purchased supplies. Let me get you a bandaid…" he murmured, taking Rhea back.

Jay waved it off. "It's- don't worry about it, I don't think she, er, broke the skin. I think I will, um, borrow your sink to wash it off, if you don't mind?"

Ford gestured magnanimously towards the work sink before he went to find the aforementioned toys. "Be my guest."

Jay nodded and went to the sink.They turned the knob and the water began to trickle into the basin freely, the crystal water darkening as it circled the drain after Jay tried to rinse their hand off. Jay winced as they glanced over their shoulder to see if Ford was back yet, trying to cover up the bleeding before he could see it himself. They didn't want him to worry. Panic coursed through their veins as he returned down the stairs, and blood still slowly dripped from their finger.

"...Is the faucet giving you issues?" He asked, curious as to why they were still at the sink.

" _Oh_ , um, sorry, I spaced out," Jay mumbled, turning off the sink and grabbing a paper towel to try and quickly stem the wound as they dried their hands.

Ford stared at them curiously. He set Rhea in the small toddler rocker, another little thing he'd been gifted, despite his assurances that he was only taking care of her temporarily, before walking up to the farmer. "...Is everything alright?"

"Erm…"

Without saying anything else he took their hand and peeled away the papertowel. He met their eye, serious and unamused. "..."Didn't break the skin"?" He repeated.

"Um…" Jay helpfully replied. 

"...Let me get some things." He gestured for them to take a seat.

Their head slunk low in resignation, Jay sat down, their cheeks reddening in embarrassment as he sat across from them, and considered their bite more seriously.

His gaze was severe as he examined their finger, his eyes only leaving it so he could grab his nearby disinfectant. "Why did you lie?" Ford asked as he wiped the wound down.

"I… didn't want you to worry?" Jay replied, quite lamely.

Ford's eyes flicked up for a moment to look at their face before returning to their hand. "I believe I'm more worried that you didn't say anything."

"...I don't think Rhea swallowed anything…" they unhelpfully offered.

"...As relieved as I am to hear that, it doesn't address my concerns," Ford cooly replied. Delicately he dabbed on some antibiotic, before wrapping it up in gauze. "She very nearly took a portion of your flesh. The human mouth contains _numerous_ bacteria, a number of which are not suited to enter your bloodstream." He grabbed a small bandage roll, wrapping it with precision around their finger. " _Not to mention_ the inherent dangers of walking around with _an open, untreated wound_. Honestly, I'd hoped you to have more sense than this."

Jay was the picture of shame, their gaze glued to the floor as they slumped on the stool. "...What do I owe you?" They asked.

Ford sighed as he put everything away. "...Consider us even, for showing me she was teething already," he replied. "...Among everything else," he murmured as an afterthought.

Jay blushed a shade deeper but still sheepishly avoided his eye. "'M sorry for being a disappointment," they quietly muttered.

Ford gave them an odd look. "My… disapproval with your deception doesn't mean I consider _you_ to be disappointing. I would just prefer you to be honest with me from now on," Ford explained. He peered at them curiously after a moment. "Do you feel alright, Jay? You're quite red," Ford murmured.

Jay jolted and waved him off. "N- no, I'm fine. I'm just… a little embarrassed about getting caught lying…" claimed Jay, their heart hammering oddly quickly in their chest.

Ford scrutinized them for a moment, before rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "Yet another reason to be more truthful in the future," he teased, giving them a wry grin.

Jay gave him a nervous smile. "I- I'll keep that in mind," they stuttered back.

* * *

"They're a bit of an odd one."

"...Those are some strong words coming from you Ford."

Ford gave Wayne an insulted look.

"Hey, I'm just pointing out," said Wayne.

Ford chose to let it drop. "They said they didn't want to worry me, for some reason," he continued.

"Oh did they now? I wonder why…" said Wayne, not surprised in the least.

"In my opinion, it's likely related to their anxiety, and a desire for approval from external sources."

"...I suppose that's one possibility," replied Wayne.

"I suppose you have another answer?"

"Could be they didn't want to worry _you_ specifically… ya know?"

"That is precisely what _I_ said," insisted Ford.

"No, I- you know what, forget it, it's not important."


	9. Chapter 9

Ford sighed as he rocked Rhea faintly in his arms, her quiet snores eeking out from where she'd mushed her face against him. " _Damn it_ ," he murmured softly to himself. He wasn't getting attached to her. He had studies to conduct, research to attend to. Not to mention the numerous patients he looked after on any given day. Besides, what did _he_ know about pediatrics? He was well-versed in the art of assisting births, yes, but after that was where his skillset began to… lack.

He couldn't afford to dedicate so much of his time to caring for a child, much less the economic costs associated with raising one. He was a solitary person, he worked best on his own, and had partially gone into a solitary practice because he found the tedium of sharing space with others quite grating at his previous place of practice.

Then… why was it he found it so distressing to think about the day she'd be out of his life? A frown was etched on his face as he thought about the day he'd wake up and he was by himself once more. When his morning routine again returned to what it was before, no longer bound to waking as often as she did, as early as she did.

All he had to do was make a call, and the process to have her put into the foster care system would be started. And before he knew it she would be gone.

No more dirty diapers. No more sleepless nights from colic. No more appointments interrupted by her waking up from her nap at the worst time. No more spitup on his crisp, laundered shirts.

No more seeing her drooly smile when he picked her up. No more hearing her giggle when he tickled her during playtime. No more feeling her face nuzzle into his chest when he rocked her to sleep, nonsense noises spilling from her as she drifted off.

Ford silently watched Rhea for a few minutes after he set her in her rocker, making sure she'd stay asleep out of his arms. Satisfied she wasn't about to wake up any time soon, Ford picked up the phone, and dialed. "...Hello, Megan? It's Ford, I- you mentioned some time ago that you were familiar with the paperwork for- ……...yes, yes I'm aware. Yes, I _did_ indeed catch that you brought it up as a joke. I was, um, hoping there was some truth behind your jest however. ...Yes, yes I _am_ serious." Ford sighed and kneaded at the bridge of his nose. "Yes Megan, I am aware this is a long-term commitment I'm talking about. You _know_ I'm not making this decision lightly, or on a whim."


	10. Chapter 10

"Is it true, Ford?" Asked Jay as soon as they walked in the door.

Ford sighed, not looking away from his chalkboard. "Megan let it slip, didn't she?" He replied.

"...Frank told me," Jay admitted. "So? _Is it?_ Are you adopting her?"

Ford sheepishly glanced back at them. "...Yes, it is," Ford quietly replied, before turning back to the board.

Jay giggled, and smiled at the stoic doctor. "Awwww, you softie."

Ford felt his face heat up as he blushed, but still he didn't look away from the board. "She's gone through enough changes in her environment, to put her through any more would be detrimental to her development. I've taken care of her thus far without impeding my work terribly."

Jay's smile would have widened were it possible. "So you got attached," said Jay.

Ford harumphed. "It would make little sense to take care of her if I didn't have an emotional attachment," he admitted without saying he agreed.

" _Softie_ ," teased Jay, smiling widely at the doctor.

His pulse quickened, and he could feel his ears heat up from blush at their words. "Sorry for disappointing," he replied, trying to cover it up with his own wry teasing back. He didn't know why this was happening, they'd poked fun at him before, why was it _now_ that their teasing left him oddly flustered. He tried to shake it off and concentrate on his work again. "...Did you need anything else?" He asked.

Jay shook their head, still smiling. "Just pestering. Oh! And dropping by your things from the post office," said Jay, producing his packages from their bag and leaving them on his desk for him. "See you tomorrow Ford," they said before leaving.

He nodded, waving absently after them as they left before tackling his deliveries. He had more important things to worry about. He'd check to see if his pulse was still elevated _after_ he sorted them out. 

He catalogued the small pile of boxes almost immediately. Cleaning supplies. Check. Face masks. Check. Test tubes. Check.

But.

There was one medium-sized package that didn't match the rest. He didn't recall ordering anything else. He opened it and was met by some squat tupperware.

Ford stared at the container quizzically, the scent of tomato and herbs wafting out now that the wrapping was off. He didn't _recall_ ordering anything edible. His stomach growled quietly as he found a note affixed to the tub. 'In case you get caught up in important work again' read the note. He recognized the writing almost immediately as the farmer's. 'P.S. add the packet while it simmers to add some extra flavor and a couple extra vitamins and minerals if you'd like' continued the note. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as he regarded their little gift. He was dizzy from hunger, Ford convinced himself. That's what this was all about, he insisted, as he finally stopped for lunch.


	11. Chapter 11

"Ford, are you here?" Called out the farmer as they entered the clinic.

"Upstairs!" Came his muffled reply.

Jay picked up the instrument lying out on the nearby counter before they headed up the stairs, and giggled as they rounded the corner. "Was there a hurricane up here, or?"

Ford frowned at them over one of the piles of bric-a-brac. " _Very humorous_. No, I've been trying to pack, I need to leave town for an obligation for a few days, and I've misplaced an instrument of mine somehow…" 

"It's not this doohickey I saw on the counter downstairs, is it?"

Ford glanced at them. "...Yes actually. Thank you." 

Jay smiled playfully at him as they handed it over, their chest growing warm at his thanks. "I get the feeling you called me more to help with Rhea than to help pack…"

"Erm… yes, about that… I normally wouldn't pester you like this, but I honestly don't have anyone else to ask whom Rhea gets along with…"

"So... I'm your last choice?" Jay teased.

Ford cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well-"

"I'm teasing you Ford. When and how long?"

"Ah… erm… tomorrow, for a week…" he mumbled.

"...That's not a lot of time for me to baby-proof, Ford…" Jay gently pointed out.

"I'm sorry, I can try to-"

"That wasn't a "no", Ford," clarified the farmer.

"Ah, right… I hope you understand I appreciate this _deeply_ , and wouldn't put you in this position if I had any other options…"

"Don't worry about it, when do you want me to pick her up and do you want me to take her to you when you get back, or do you want to pick her up?"

"Early, and you don't have to worry about bringing her back, I can retrieve her. It's the least I can do in return."

"How early is "early" here, Ford?" Asked Jay.

"Ah, of course. By six," said Ford.

"...She's going to be half-asleep and cranky when I come get her, isn't she?" Jay asked.

"...Most likely…" Ford conceded.

"Yay."

* * *

It was at _least_ twice a day he called to check in.

Which means it was closer to whenever he found a spare moment and a free phone that he felt the need to check in on Rhea. Jay might've found it annoying, if they hadn't honestly enjoyed talking with him so often. In all honesty it felt… wrong not to be stopping by the clinic every day, as odd as it sounded. It was such a regular part of Jay's routine. Not that they got through much of their routine as they took care of Rhea for the week. They kept up the farm and cared for their animals as usual, but they ended up being a bit of a homebody as they watched over her. Not that they minded it, of course.

"I should be back by tomorrow," said Ford, on the other end of the phone.

"Well I'd _hope_ _so_ , that's the day you told me last week," replied Jay, smiling widely. They could imagine him rolling his eyes as they heard him sigh.

"Yes, of course," Ford dryly replied. "I just wanted to offer my thanks for watching Rhea on such short notice."

Jay laughed and shook their head. "Don't worry about it Ford. I'm always happy to lend a hand," they insisted.

"I still appreciate it," Ford insisted right back.

"It's no trouble, Ford…" Jay hesitantly replied, beginning to grow bashful at his continued praise.

"I would have been in a true bind if you hadn't agreed to help me out. I won't forget it," Ford continued to insist, oddly set on earnestly expressing his gratitude.

"Really Ford…" Jay mumbled.

"I'll have to repay you somehow, " he said.

Jay absently shook their head. "Careful Ford. Keep this up and I might think I'm special to you or something," Jay tried to tease.

"Well, to be honest, you _are_ special to me," said Ford without missing a beat.

'Tha-thump' went Jay's heart, suddenly beating _quite loudly_ in their ears at that.

"-ay? Jay? Are you still there?" Asked Ford.

Jay shook their head, snapping out of it. "Y- yes, sorry. You were saying?"

Ford paused, and you could hear his implied doctor's orders to get more rest in his tone of voice. "Yes, well… I was just saying I appreciate you doing this for me. I never thought I'd have any other close friends like Brad and Wayne, and I won't forget this favor."

Jay smiled, their heart settling back down upon hearing him call them a "friend", despite the unconscious pang of disappointment that settled in their stomach. "Maybe you should remember it the next time you have a lecture ready for me," they teased.

You could almost hear Ford's scowl over the line. "You are very lucky you didn't lose a toe!"

"Well of course I didn't, I've got you looking out for me," said Jay.

Ford's sigh hissed out through the receiver. "Jay…"


	12. Chapter 12

Jay smiled as they walked in. "Need any help there, or?"

Ford's cheeks grew ever so slightly flushed as he played with his glasses where he lay. "She hasn't been sleeping reliably, and doesn't want to, erm, sleep… without…" Ford whispered, before trailing off with a sheepish mumble.

Jay had to cover their mouth to stifle their giggles. "That's _adorable_ ," they whispered.

Ford flushed deeply, and would have fidgeted anxiously, were it not for Rhea, atop him and sleeping soundly. "I'm relieved it… meets your approval," he whispered.

Jay snorted quietly, rolling their eyes at him.

He sincerely hoped his heartbeat wouldn't wake Rhea, as it suddenly began positively _hammering_ in his chest as Jay got so close to him, kneeling down by his shoulder so they could look closer at the sleeping Rhea.

With the same gentleness they used when handling newly-hatched chicks, they gently stroked Rhea's head, biting back a giggle as she nuzzled into Ford's chest in her sleep.

"She must really feel safe with you," Jay whispered to Ford.

Ford's throat went dry. "I suppose so," he whispered back.

"Lucky her," Jay whispered with a smile as they met his eye. "I'll leave you be now."

"Will you be by again later?" He asked before they could leave.

Jay thought about it for a moment. "When works for you?"

"Come by at dinnertime," he said.

"Oh Ford, I hate to intrude…" Jay mumbled.

"I still need to repay you for the plant samples you gave me last week," said Ford. His heart swelled oddly when they giggled at him for this.

"S'not something you need to repay me for," Jay said.

"Well I would still appreciate your company," Ford murmured in reply.

Jay blushed at that. "You're gonna give me a swelled head at this rate," they softly teased.

"I'm sorry to give you an allergic reaction," he whispered.

Jay rolled their eyes. "I thought you were supposed to help me with my symptoms, not give me new ones."

"I have antihistamine," whispered Ford.

Jay had to use their hand to stifle their giggling. "Well if you're going to be so insistent… I'll come back later."

"I look forward to it," said Ford, unable to stop himself.

Jay chuckled but didn't meet his eye. "I'll try not to disappoint then," they whispered, waving at the two of them as they left.


	13. Chapter 13

It happened one afternoon, just like any other day.

Ford was writing up some research, organizing his data and the like, when Rhea started to babble incessantly and insistently. He resigned himself to this quite quickly, setting her in his lap so he could at least look over what he had written already for mistakes while keeping her out of trouble. "Initial testing implies this dosage is insufficient to demonstrate any real effect…" he mumbled to himself when it happened.

Rhea blathered gibberish, wriggling slightly in his lap, when she suddenly got quite focused, as if attempting to sound out something in particular. "Drrrrra…" she mumbled on her first attempt. "Ddbrrrrbrr," she bubbled next, little spit bubbles accumulating on her lips.

"Ah- _Rhea_ …" Ford murmured, taking a handkerchief and wiping her face off.

Rhea giggled, staring up at him warmly as he wiped off her mouth. "....Da! Da… da! Dada!" She eventually shrieked.

Ford faltered at this, staring almost blankly down at the small child.

Rhea continued to shout. "Dada! Daaaa! Dada!"

Ford found himself... surprisingly choked up at this. It... hadn't really sunk in for Ford, until the tiny tot in his lap started babbling that he was "dada", the full gravity of his situation. 

His voice cracked as he quietly chuckled down at her. "Yes Rhea…. I'm your dada…" He murmured, warmly nuzzling her soft cheek.

Surely...… surely she had heard one of his younger patients interacting with their dad, or perhaps someone jokingly pointing out him being her dad, and she'd made the connection herself. Normally these were the things he would be telling himself, but he was a little bit more preoccupied than usual, what with him profusely tearing up at the babbling of his recently-adopted daughter in his lap. 

Were anyone else to see him like this, utterly soppy and goofily smiling down at her, he would of course vehemently deny the incident.

Jay turned to leave, having stumbled on the scene and watched the entire thing from around the corner on accident. They'd do another errand or two in town before saying hello to Ford that day, they decided, pointedly ignoring the warmth that blossomed in their chest at the sight they'd stumbled onto.


	14. Chapter 14

Jay smiled as Rhea babbled at them, grinning widely up at them as they walked up. "Are you being well-behaved today?" They asked.

Ford chuckled softly from where he sat nearby. "I suppose that depends on your definition of "well-behaved"..."

" _Rheaaaa_ ," Jay gently teased, sitting next to her. "Have you been naughty today?"

Rhea continued to babble, scarcely taking a moment to even breathe.

"I believe I see what you mean, Ford…" Jay giggled, helping Rhea into their lap when she crawled up.

"Hrrbbdbd aa," Rhea burbled, staring up at Jay. "Aaa da... mmna. Ma. Mama mama mamamamamama." She babbled this gibberish in a solid stream, before getting stuck on "mama," repeating it almost endlessly as she wriggled in their lap.

"Ah… _Rhea_ …" Jay mumbled, absently blushing as they regarded her. 

Rhea giggled. "Maaa-ma!"

"She's, um, been working towards words. Ah- ...she still hasn't quite worked out _context_ for everything yet…" Ford mumbled, sheepishly hiding his mouth behind his hand.

Jay shook their head, still blushing as they stood. "It- it's fine…" they mumbled.

Rhea, oblivious to the unspoken awkwardness in the room, continued to repeat herself.

Jay chuckled shyly at Ford as he stepped up, handing Rhea over when he gestured for her.

Rhea smiled and wiggled in Ford's grasp as he picked her up. "Mmmmm da. Dada!" She squealed, giggling as he nuzzled her.

Jay couldn't help but smile at the heartwarming sight, playfully pinching her cheek.

Rhea wiggled, giggling again as she caught Jay's fingers with her hands. "Mbrbrbba. Mm. Ma. Mama. Mama!" She babbled, waggling Jay's hand up and down as she babbled.

"...Ah….." Jay murmured.

"Erm……….." Ford mumbled back.

"I dunno, I think she's worked out her own context," Jay mumbled.

Ford tried to cough discretely. "It's just, erm, one of the easiest sounds for infants to make when they're learning to speak," mumbled Ford.

Jay giggled nervously. "You made that up."

"No, erm, I recall reading something about it a while back," Ford nervously insisted.

Jay giggled, and gave him a skeptical look. " _Where_ did you read that?" They asked.

"In… an article…" Ford insisted even more nervously.

""In an article"," Jay teasingly repeated, liberally using air-quotes as they smirked at him.

Ford opened his mouth for a rebuttal when the downstairs bell chimed.

"Dr. Ford? Are you here?" Called a voice from downstairs.

Ford grumbled in quiet annoyance before giving Jay a quietly pleading look.

Jay rolled their eyes. "Hand her over, I'll keep an eye on her."

Ford quickly muttered his thanks before quickly checking downstairs to see what the problem was.

Jay shook their head before taking a seat with the small girl.

Rhea, to her credit, didn't seem to particularly mind her father dashing off so suddenly, far more interested in practicing her vocabulary. "Maaaaaama," she giggled, smiling up at Jay.

"No honey, I'm sorry. I'm not "mama"... I'm not one of your parents…" mumbled Jay.

Rhea burbled in confusion, staring up at Jay. ".....Ma?"

"Not "mama"," repeated Jay, smiling down at her.

Rhea blew a quiet raspberry and chewed on her hand, as if contemplating something. "Prbrbrbrb," she muttered.

Jay smiled softly. "I suppose if anything, it'd be wren," they mumbled quietly, mostly to themself, if anything. Jay guessed they _had_ been coming around and looking after Rhea pretty often, it's not entirely unusual she might think of them as a parent. It… wasn't as if they were wholly against it either...

Rhea continued to babble while Jay was lost in thought.

"Hmm? Yes?" Jay asked when she started to grab at them.

"Nnnnnnn. En. Wen. _Wen!_ " Rhea eventually sounded out, smiling widely at Jay.

Jay sighed, but regarded her warmly. " _Okay_. Okay. You're not giving this up, are you?"

Rhea giggled. "Weeeeen."

"I suppose we'll just have to make do," Jay murmured.

It was at this point Ford returned, absently shaking his head. "False alarm, nothing serious," he informed Jay.

"Well that's good. So, good news and bad news. Good news is I have convinced Rhea to stop calling me "mama"," said Jay.

Ford gave them a curious look. "And the bad news?"

"......She's calling me "wren" instead," mumbled Jay.

Ford's eyebrow, which was elevated to ridiculous elevations already, threatened to become one with his hairline at that, the barest hint of a wry grin peeking through his lips. "Ah. Entirely of her own volition, I assume."

"Are you implying I have a hand in this development?" Jay coyly teased back.

"No, never," murmured Ford, cooing absently at the small girl as he picked her up out of Jay's arms.

"Good, because I might have to stop offering free babysitting if you're gonna toss out accusations," Jay chuckled.


	15. oh, we about to reach the Good Shit

"Well this is peculiar… I wonder what the delay is?" Ford murmured. Rhea was giggling as he bounced her in his arms. He decided that taking her to the cow festival was a good idea, she might enjoy the animals, and she needed the fresh air. But it was far past the normal starting time, and there was a bit of a crowd by the stage, clearly worked up over something. When he squinted, he could make out Jay near the stage, gesturing emphatically over something, before throwing their hands up in exasperation. "Well this doesn't look good…" Ford mumbled.

A few minutes later, Jay stormed by, and Ford quickly stepped forward to catch them by the arm as they walked past.

" _ **Eh!**_ \- Oh, _Ford_. Hi," said Jay.

"What's all the, erm, "hubbub" about? Is everything alright?"

"...Um… it… depends on your definition of "alright"... um…" Jay trailed off, their eyes flicking back to the stage. "It's up in the air whether the contest will actually happen today anymore. I'm disqualified anyhow so-"

" _ **What?**_ " Ford suddenly interrupted, before clearing his throat nervously. "Erm, sorry, I-- ah… what happened?"

"Well it's in the rules, you can't have pregnant cows participate."

"....Why did you enter her then?"

" _Well she wasn't pregnant when I signed her up_." Jay sighed, their hands running through their hair as their frustration was plain to see on their face.

"...I am sorry, but what exactly do you _mean_?"

"...She got mounted by a bull backstage, and they can't rule out the possibility she might be impregnated by it, ergo: disqualified."

"...I was under the impression bulls weren't part of the competition?" Ford asked.

Jay sighed again as they reached out to let Rhea play with their hand when she started to fuss. "They _aren't_. It looks like this competition isn't run by the usual people this time, and _apparently_ whoever is running it, let a friend of theirs store their new bull in the pens…"

"...This doesn't sound like a particularly fair situation… or a logical one."

Jay snorted. "Nope. But I already said my piece. I'm gonna take Belladonna and leave, I think. I don't think I'm gonna be in a real socializing mood if the contest still goes through." 

"Ah… I'm sorry to hear that," Ford mumbled. "I thought Rhea might enjoy the animals today, but from your reports, it might have been more productive to sit this one out…"

"Oh… I'm sorry Ford, maybe they'll still hold it, so at least your time won't have been wasted-"

Ford waved this off. "No. No it's alright, I think I see Frank and a few others withdrawing their entries too, with so many participants gone, I'm unsure of the caliber of bovine for today if it still goes on. I'd rather Rhea interact with animals I know are taken care of well." Ford sighed. 

"...You know you could just drop by one of the farms, right? I can't speak for anyone else, but I know I wouldn't mind you two coming by, if you wanna see animals so badly," Jay replied.

Ford flushed lightly at that, messing with his glasses before he replied. "I erm, suppose you have a point…"

"...I'm not gonna force you or anything, but I certainly don't have any other plans today, if you wanted to drop by later. I'm probably gonna be in a more sociable mood back on the farm anyhow."

Ford chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

* * *

Jay smiled warmly, and waved at Ford as he walked up with Rhea.

Ford met the farmer's smile with a wryer version of his own. "How is Belladonna faring?" He asked.

"Well she's keeping to herself for now, she's a little skittish at the moment."

"Understandable."

"Think Rhea would like to say hi to some of the animals?" Jay asked.

Ford hesitated. "...I am sure… she would…" he absently muttered. 

"C'mon Ford, got a moderately ratty blanket for her to sit on and everything. Promise nothing bad'll happen to her. Cross my heart."

Ford chuckled sheepishly. "Well, if you insist…" he mumbled, handing Rhea over.

Jay laughed softly as they cooed at Rhea. "Hey Rhee-Rhee, wanna say hi to the animals and make daddy anxious?" 

"Hrrmph," grumbled Ford.

Jay ignored him and spread out the blanket, carefully setting Rhea down with an encouraging smile.

Almost immediately Rhea was surrounded by chickens. They clucked curiously at her, circling her for a few minutes, as if examining her, before settling around her, forming a makeshift barrier of feathery fowl as Rhea giggled gleefully and gently patted their sides.

Ford was tense, nervously watching the proceedings while still prepared to leap into action and snatch her up if needed.

"It's _alright_ Ford, the gals won't peck her or anything unless she tries to pluck something, and even then that's doubtful. They're oddly affectionate, even for chickens. You just gotta watch out for the pooping thing," Jay gently assured him.

Ford relaxed a few degrees at that, sheepishly meeting Jay's eye before turning back to Rhea. "Ah, yes…… of course…" he mumbled. "And what about the alpaca that just… erm… sat next to her?" He asked after a beat.

Jay whipped around. "...That's Freddie… but they still run away from even me…" Jay replied, quite a bit stunned as the aforementioned alpaca nuzzled Rhea.

Ford tensed up imperceptibly. "Should, we, erm…"

Jay shook their head, snapping out of their shock. "No. No no, it's fine. She's got a way with animals it seems…"

Ford chuckled nervously. "Or you've just raised some well-behaved animals," murmured Ford. He watched Jay for a bit, smiling absently at them as Jay watched Rhea giggle and haphazardly pet whatever animal was closest in reach.

"Hmm?" Jay mumbled after a few minutes. "Pfft, if they were well-behaved I wouldn't have to move the tomatoes to the southern field, _now would I, Gladys?!_ " 

The aforementioned chicken paid no mind to this, and instead continued to cluck quietly and peer at the small child seated nearby.

Ford chuckled softly to himself. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Jay finally looked back at him again, and was mortified to feel their face begin to warm at the tiny smile he wore. “Yeah-- uh… little omnivores will eat anything they can get their beaks on to keep making all those eggs…” they mumbled quietly.

* * *

“ _Rhea,_ ” Ford softly chided at the fussy girl as she whined at his interruption. “It’s time to go home,” he murmured, carefully juggling her from hand to hand as she tried to thrash and return to where she had been petting the animals.

Jay giggled and gently cupped the little girl’s cheeks after a few minutes of this. “Rhee-rhee, I promise they’ll be waiting to see you again next time, okay? Just like me,” Jay murmured soothingly, smiling at the sniffling child.

Rhea slowed her wriggling at this, fixing Jay with a powerful pleading frown.

Jay giggled, much softer this time. “ _I promise,_ everyone will be waiting for you to come back again. I swear.”

Ford was silent as he watched them calm Rhea down, that odd warmth that kept overtaking him more and more often, settling in his chest. He gave an embarrassed cough when Jay suddenly met his quiet stare, clearly bemused by his look. He pretended to give Rhea a quick once-over to make sure she hadn’t gotten too much dirt on her as he tried to regain his train of thought, his cheeks growing ever so slightly red. “Yes-- er, um. Thank you. We’ll come back again soon, okay Rhea?” He quietly soothed her as he settled her down in his arms. “Thank you, again. I-- ...we both appreciated this.”

Jay laughed softly, warmly squeezing his forearm before they knelt to pick up the blanket and fold it up. “No problem Ford, just make sure to bring her by and drop by for a visit again sometime, okay? I don’t want you making a liar out of me,” they teased.

Ford cleared his throat nervously. “Ah, yes. I-- I will do my best not to do that to you. Come on Rhea, it’s time to go home.” 

And with that the doctor turned to walk back to his clinic, small child in tow as he tried not to focus too oddly upon their singular touch to his forearm, and how it made his heart flutter in a way he was scarcely familiar with.


	16. Chapter 16

"I'm d'okay Ford, I _swear_ ," Jay insisted.

Ford shook his head, rolling his eyes as he chided them. "You have a _fever_ , and it's raining out. You need to rest."

"But-"

"No. Just- ...rest for a while at least, _please_. I can make some of my fever reducer, but I have another patient coming soon. Please rest in the meantime, if you're _not_ sick, you should still get more rest."

Jay sighed, and laid back on the couch where Ford had led them. "Okay…"

"It's for the best. I'll get you a blanket." Ford gestured for them to stay put as he left to get it. He sighed as he ran into Rhea, who had crept out of bed again. " _You_ are supposed to be having your nap, Rhea."

She pouted, but pointed to the sitting room. "Jay?"

"They're resting to recuperate, much like how you're supposed to be," he gently admonished.

Rhea pouted, but didn't resist when he carried her back to bed and tucked her in again, giggling when he kissed her forehead before he went back to settling Jay onto the couch. She tried again to fall asleep, but soon grew bored, crawling out of bed and sneaking into the other room.

Jay was snoring gently, already asleep on the couch despite their earlier protests.

Rhea watched them for a few minutes, before deciding she should give Jay one of her stuffed animals to help them sleep better, sharing was the right thing to do after all. It started with her rabbit doll, carefully laid on top of Jay, who remained asleep. But, she couldn't have her rabbit be with Jay without also including her teddy bear twins, they were all best friends after all. But then her gorilla doll wanted to join as well. And at that point her giraffe was all alone on her bed, and that wasn't fair, so she added her to the pile. 

Rhea proudly regarded her work for a moment, before yawning. It had taken a fair amount of work to set it all up, and suddenly she was… getting very sleepy...

* * *

Quietly, Ford crept upstairs. He was worried Jay might have woken up by then, his appointment and formulation of the medicine taking longer than he'd planned. But, to his relief, he could hear them, still snoring on his couch. He approached them silently and set the pill and a glass of water on the nearby table before he glanced at them and did a double-take.

They were suddenly covered in toys, but more startling than that was the sight of Rhea, having clambered on top of the sleeping farmer and cuddled into their arms, to join them in their nap. A smile peeked through the corners of his mouth at how adorable it was. Overtly, however, he sighed, resigning himself to the likelihood he would be looking after a sick daughter as well before long. 

With endlessly practiced movements he took off his leather gloves, replacing them with a set of his disposable, sterile ones. He brushed away the hair on Jay's forehead as gently as he could muster, checking their temperature on spec. He concluded they were still a touch warm, but not burning up at least. 

...They looked so serene, Ford thought to himself. It's not that they were permanently high-strung, or alternately morose, but that it was odd to see their face so… lax, devoid of hidden thoughts.

Ford flinched back on reflex when Jay shifted in their sleep, finally catching himself and pulling away. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he went to toss away the gloves. Like the last time they were asleep in his house, he was unable to keep himself from thinking about them.

Ford sighed as he went to wash up. He'd figure it out eventually he supposed. But for now he still had other work to attend to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter has existed for over a year, just so you know


	17. Chapter 17

Jay gave a distracted nod to the doctor as he walked by, little Rhea in tow for their usual visit to see their animals. It had sorta become a semi-regular occurrence by then, Ford bringing Rhea by when he could, the air and exercise being beneficial for both of them, it seemed.

"Busy day?" Asked Ford as he gingerly set Rhea on the grass.

"Can't complain," said Jay. "Something keeps nibbling my greens so I needed to set up some precautions," they continued, gesturing to the bundle of chicken wire bound to stakes they were moving.

"Sounds like quite a bit of work," said Ford, watching Rhea as she crawled closer to the hens.

"Yeah but I'm almost done, then I gotta till to prepare for the potatoes and weed and it's just one more task on the never-ending to do list, " Jay muttered.

"It sounds like a lot for one person," said Ford.

"...I guess…" Jay muttered as they tied up the thick wire on yet another stake.

"Have you ever thought about getting help with your work?" Asked Ford.

"...Sometimes," admitted Jay. "I'm still not making enough for that. If I have to hire help, I don't want to be paying them peanuts, you know?"

Ford chuckled softly. "It's admirable how much you care about others…"

Jay laughed to themself. "High praise coming from you. That's why you do your job, right?" They teased as they pulled the wire tighter.

Ford chuckled. "Praise all you like, I'm not helping you farm."

"Not even if I take you to dinner first?" 

Ford laughed as he brought Rhea back from the mud to the grass. "Careful, anyone else would be liable to think you had ulterior motives--"

" _SHH-- AGHH!_ …." Hissed Jay as the chicken wire snapped back from their grasp as they startled at his words.

Ford immediately shot to his feet and was at Jay's side before they could scarcely blink, immediately looking over the gash in their palm with a dour frown. He bit his lip as he saw how deep it was, silently wishing he'd thought to take some of his supplies with him earlier. "Do you?--" He started to ask.

"'ve got a kit with supplies in the bathroom, it's in the mirror cabinet," said Jay, letting out a quiet grumble of pain.

Ford nodded curtly before leaving to retrieve it.

Jay hissed quietly to themself as they held their hand, blood dripping onto the ground. They gave Rhea a pained smile as she peered at them curiously, reassuring her they were okay.

Soon enough Ford returned with supplies in hand, entirely in concerned doctor-mode. "Let me see…" he absently murmured, gently cleaning their hand.

Jay let out another pained sound, wincing as the alcohol stung as it did its work.

Ford murmured a quiet apology, his concern growing as blood continued to well on their palm. "I'm going to put pressure on it for a little bit to try and stem the bleeding before dressing it further," explained Ford.

"'Kay…" Jay mumbled shakily. Their head was a mess, already embarrassed to have injured themself in front of Ford, now further thrown off track by his hand in theirs. His grip was firm and unyielding on their hand as he tried to stem their bleeding, but somehow the pain was less distracting than his touch. His grip was so much stronger than they had realized, his long and slender fingers doing little to give away their strength.

"I am sorry for the discomfort, it will be over soon enough," Ford gently assured.

Jay shook their head as they snapped out of it, chuckling awkwardly. "N-- no, it's alright. I just-- ...you have a very strong grip," Jay awkwardly stuttered. 

Ford chuckled quietly, not looking up from their hand. "It is necessary on occasion."

Jay giggled warily. "Thought your work dealt with more delicate procedures…" they mumbled.

Ford rolled his eyes before he peered over where he had left Rhea, making sure she was keeping out of trouble. "Until someone comes in needing a limb set or a shoulder relocated into its socket," he quietly taunted.

Jay coughed awkwardly. "...Sorry about that."

"...Just try to be more careful, seeing my favorite patient injured is not something I relish," Ford quietly teased, changing the gauze as the bleeding finally began to slow.

Jay's head grew fuzzy at his remark, overwhelmed at him calling them a favorite of his. Their knees began to shake.

"Jay?" Ford asked, his arm wrapping around them as they stumbled.

Jay's heart leapt into their throat at his closeness, their pulse suddenly skyrocketing. "S-- sorry, 'm just a little… lightheaded…" they mumbled woozily.

"Here, how about we move by the barn?" Ford murmured, helping them lean on him as he cautiously walked them to the building.

Jay gave a distracted nod, unsure how to react as they followed his lead. He was so warm, his arm so secure and oddly strong around them as he still held their hand. They gave a weak smile as he had them lean against the barn wall.

"Do you need to sit down for a moment?" He asked, not particularly enthralled by their wobbly stature.

But Jay shook their head. "N-- no, I'm okay now, I just-- I just was a little woozy for a second."

Ford gave them a skeptical frown as he gave them a quick once over before he went back to retrieve the kit once again, setting it on a nearby barrel. "You did lose a little bit of blood, you should be sure to take things slow today. Tell me if you feel that way again," chastised Ford.

Jay gave another weak smile. "Will do." 

But it wasn't just his grip that threw them off. No, it was the fact he hadn't given them some sort of lecture, or advice against being so injury-prone. He was being so gentle and comforting that it was honestly jarring.

"Perhaps you should consider something called common sense? Perhaps even consider precaution? I hear those are useful if you intend on keeping all your limbs. Honestly I was hoping by now you would have learned _some_ sort of lesson."

Jay sighed. There it was.

Ford was silent for a few minutes as he carefully tended to their palm. "No, I-- I should apologize. It's not fair to blame you like this when we have been a regular distraction for you in your work. I apologize."

Jay shook their head. "N-- no it's-- it's fine, I… if it's a distraction it's a welcome one. I should've gotten my gloves out the moment I was messin' with the wire today. It's-- it's my fault…"

Ford sighed and shook his head. "How about we agree to both be sorry and move on?"

Jay giggled weakly and nodded. "Sure."

"I… don't know that it's deep enough to have lasting _serious_ nerve damage, but I would encourage you to drop by my clinic sooner rather than later so I can have a better look at it with all my tools on hand. _And maybe redress it in newer bandages…_ " recommended Ford, absently muttering the last part to himself under his breath. 

Jay rolled their eyes but quietly agreed, patiently watching Ford as he worked. After a moment they glanced over his shoulder and jolted. " _ **Ford!**_ "

His hand shot out on reflex to grab their waist and hold them steady.

"Nononono _not me!_ Rhea's trying to eat a rock!"

"Oh _for!_ \--" Ford stumbled over his own two feet as he scrambled to stop her, mumbling soothingly to try and get her to relinquish her mineral not-snack as he picked her up. He grumbled quietly to himself as he walked back to Jay, fussing toddler in hand. "Hrm, I-- …...hmm…" he mumbled.

"......I can hold her with my good arm if you need both hands," Jay helpfully offered.

Ford gave them a conflicted look, thinking it over for a moment before carefully handing her over and resuming his work.

"Hey hey hey…" murmured Jay, trying to soothe Rhea as she squirmed. "Rheaaa," they chastised. "You're still too young to have that stuff in your mouth. When you get older and have better swallowing and chewing control you can mouth at rocks all you want okay?"

"Don't tell my daughter to eat rocks when she gets older," said Ford.

"I never said _eat,_ I said mouth at. It's a tactile thing Ford, you know how many nerves for that are in the mouth."

"Don't encourage her to stick non-food things in her mouth then."

"Like toothbrushes and medicine?"

He gave them a stern glare, frowning at them, but said nothing.

Jay ignored him, nuzzling Rhea and distracting her with raspberries to her chubby cheeks.

Dr. Ford sighed as he put on the finishing touches and gestured for them to hand Rhea back. “That is the best I can do with what we have here, but I _highly recommend_ that you come back to my clinic no later than tomorrow so I can take another look at it.”

Jay flexed their fingers experimentally a few times as they listened to him, looking over his bandage-work. “Are you saying my first aid kit sucks?” They teased.

Ford sighed. “Your injury is just large enough I believe it needs a couple stitches, and while your kit is _remarkably_ well-kept, it doesn’t have surgical thread.”

Jay sighed but nodded. “Gimmie a few hours and I’ll drop by the clinic, I just need to tidy a few things up and put a couple of the more wily animals away.”

“And _try_ to keep it clean,” he emphasized.

“Darn, there go my plans to till up the compost pile with my bare hands.”

Ford shook his head as he turned to leave. “We’ll be expecting you.”

“I’ll try not to stand you up then,” Jay teased as he retreated back to his clinic.


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey Ford, are ya there?" Called Wayne, Brad following on his heels.

The doctor poked his head around the wall, trademark scowl already in place. "Ah yes, Brad, Wayne. I'm sorry but I don't have time for chit-chat today. I need to finish preparing and don't have time for distractions right now--"

Wayne let out a short whistle as Brad shook his head in quiet disbelief. "Did you hear that Brad? We're a _**distraction**_ ," said Wayne.

"And here I thought our dear Dr. Ford was above such things," Brad teased.

Ford rolled his eyes. "Yes. Yes. There is also the matter of Rhea being asleep right now for her afternoon nap, so it would be appreciated if you two could--"

It was at that time the bell above the clinic door rang, Jay walking in. "Hey guys," they said.

Brad and Wayne both gave Ford several loaded looks, but both men gave way for Ford to pass by.

"Ah, Jay, I'm relieved you made time to come by today. I apologize, I'm not quite prepared for you yet, if you don't mind waiting a few minutes…"

Jay giggled and glanced over his shoulder. "Too many distractions?" They fondly teased.

Ford sighed. "I suppose you could say that…"

The two men acted aghast at such accusations. "We're good friends checking on our dear town doc, and what do we get? _Accusations_ ," complained Brad.

"The nerve of it all," added Wayne.

Jay joined Ford this time in the eye-rolling as they regarded the two men.

"Yes, well. Jay if you'd like to start removing the bandages, I should be prepared by then." 

Jay shook their head at the continued mock-outrage from Brad and Wayne, taking a seat where Ford had indicated. "Sure thing."

Brad eyed the sheer amount of bandages around the farmer's hand as they removed them. "Geeze Ford, anyone ever tell you about something called "overkill"?"

Wayne peered over their other shoulder. "Ford, I think it's possible to go too far on a papercut--" Wayne cut himself off when blood began to appear on the later layers of the farmer's bandages.

Jay winced with a soft grumble of annoyance as they finished up, dried blood smeared on their palm. Despite their best efforts to be gentle they had in fact made the gash bleed again while they put things away earlier.

Ford shook his head before he gently took their palm, carefully wiping it off with alcohol. "My apologies for the sting."

Jay winced and grit their teeth. "S'fine," they insisted.

Ford said nothing as he continued to gently clean their palm, scrutinizing it until he was satisfied it was finished. "I'm going to numb the area slightly, but you _will_ still feel some of the insertions as I stitch," Ford warned.

Jay nodded as they watched him work.

" _Geeze Jay,_ what on earth did you do?" Asked Wayne as he finally got a good look at the slice across their palm.

Jay shrugged. "Fought off a feral turnip." Jay winced and tried not to flinch as Ford made the first stitch. " _Okay okay_. The chicken wire decided to be unruly today."

Wayne and Brad snorted and laughed at that. "Didn't think there was a beast that didn't like you, but I guess we were wrong," joked Wayne.

"It was only a matter of time…" said Brad.

Jay stuck their tongue out at the two of them. "Hardy har, jerks."

Wayne tugged at the other man's elbow and gestured to the door. "I guess we better give you two your privacy."

"We can tell when we're not wanted," added Brad, waving at the two of them before he and Wayne let them be.

Ford rolled his eyes again, but let his shoulders drop as soon as they left, relaxing imperceptibly now that it was just the two of them.

Jay nodded absently as they left, watching Ford's face as he worked on their hand.

His eyes flicked to meet theirs for a moment. "You're staring," he remarked. 

"Would you rather I look where you're working and flinch a whole bunch?"

"Whatever helps you feel more at ease," Ford mumbled.

Jay gave a weak smile, closing their eyes as a moment.

"You have remarkably good muscle control, I'm impressed," said Ford after a while.

Jay rolled their eyes with a tiny smirk. "You just have good bedside manner," they teased. "...Guess I just trust you a lot…" they quietly added after a few minutes.

Ford was silent, carefully tugging the next stitch tight. "Hopefully it isn't misplaced," he absently murmured.

Jay studied his face for a moment. His brow was furrowed as he concentrated, his eyes focused only on their injury, his impossibly steady hands holding their wrist still with one as the other started the next stitch. It was funny, they hadn't really looked at his face that closely until now. He was stern and stoic almost constantly, but… he wasn't terribly tough to look at, if they were being honest with themself. "Don't see how it would be," they eventually replied.

Ford's eyes met theirs for a moment again, but he remained silent. "One more ought to suffice," he eventually informed them. 

Jay nodded.

He finished the final stitch without fanfare, covering the area with a couple layers of bandage once more for good measure. "There, it may take up to several weeks for it to heal completely. You should take care not to strain the area, and kindly _please_ don't try to take the stitches out yourself, leave that to me. And of course make sure to keep it _clean_."

Jay rolled their eyes but quietly promised to follow his instructions. "I appreciate it, Ford, really. What do I--" Jay stumbled as they went to stand too suddenly, their good hand catching the stool as their knees partially went out and their vision dimmed for a moment.

Quicker than should have been humanly possible, Ford turned back around and caught their other elbow, pulling them back up and helping Jay stand. "Have you not eaten yet? You _know_ you lost blood."

Jay grimaced. "Slipped my mind. I ate not long before…"

Ford rolled his eyes as he helped them sit down again. "Stay here, I'll be back." Ford gave them a stern glare before he headed upstairs. He checked on Rhea briefly before he went back to his small kitchen, returning to Jay, a cookie and cup of juice in hand. "Here."

Jay gave him an apologetic smile, shyly taking the offered snacks.

"" _Why thank you Dr. Ford for always looking out for my personal well-being_ "," Ford teased with a wry grin as he watched them expectantly.

Jay snorted, glancing up at him. " _Thank you for the cookie, daddy_ ," they teased in a fauxe sexy voice.

Ford stared blankly for a moment before he gave a disgusted shudder. "Do _not_ say that again."

Jay laughed but nodded their head apologetically. "Regret all the way around."

He gave them a wary glare before he busied himself with cleaning up, putting away equipment he was finished with, disposing of used supplies.

"......Thanks again," Jay murmured after a few minutes.

Ford paused. "Of course."

Jay looked over the snack he'd given them as they fell silent. "...Where did this cookie come from?" They asked.

Ford glanced back at them. "Rhea's snack shelf."

Jay rolled their eyes. "I mean who made them."

Ford glanced back at them again. ".........I made them," he admitted.

Jay gave him a disbelieving look. "...Really? This tastes like it has a lot of sugar for your cooking…"

Ford sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, well… Rhea can be particular sometimes..." he coyly admitted.

Jay laughed softly as they finished the cookie. "Never knew I'd see a day you considered personal taste over sheer nutritional content."

Ford scoffed quietly to himself. "Yes, well… emotional health and happiness are important factors to consider as well," he mumbled.

Jay smiled as they regarded the aloof doctor, finishing the juice with a sigh. "So. What do I owe you today?"

Ford mumbled some soft nonsense to himself as he put the last instrument away. "You don't need to worry yourself over it--"

"Oh _no you don't_ ," insisted Jay. "You keep this up and you won't be able to keep a roof over your head, much less support the clinic _and_ Rhea."

Ford frowned at them. "I _believe_ I can handle my own expenses," he insisted.

"And I can handle mine, _what do I owe you?_ " Jay insisted right back.

"Consider it repayment for your herbs, and lunch last week," argued Ford.

"Which were repayment for lunch and a checkup the week _before_ last," Jay replied. 

"Consider us even for putting up with Rhea and I visiting your farm so often, then," replied Ford.

"Like I'd charge for companionship," said Jay. 

Ford blushed but hid it by kneading at the bridge of his nose. "I suppose if you are going to _**insist**_ on being so stubborn…" he replied in a resigned tone, writing up his bill.

Jay shook their head as they waited. "Have to be, if I'm gonna keep up with you, stubborn old man."

Ford muttered softly to himself, pretending to ignore their comment as he offered the paperwork for them to look over, carefully putting their payment away in his lockbox.

Jay laughed quietly, a small smile on their face as they looked up at him. "See you tomorrow?" 

Ford rolled his eyes as he saw them to the door. "Hopefully not as a patient. For once."

Jay giggled. "No promises. Bye Ford."

Ford sighed to himself as soon as they left, sinking into his seat. He checked his pulse and confirmed it was still fast, his heart positively _hammering_ in his chest. He could still feel their warmth as he thought about how their small hand had fit into his as he had worked. He just… was nervous about such close physical contact, he told himself. It had been a while since he'd been under such close scrutiny, that's why he nearly faltered when they watched him sew. He let out a longer sigh, and let his eyes fall closed. His heart always sank when he had to attend to an injured patient, but when it happened to Jay it felt like his heart was in a vise, slowly being squeezed harder and harder. It… it was because it happened so frequently, he reasoned. That every injury had a chance to be catastrophic, and because theirs happened so often they were at a higher risk of this, that's why his concern was so severe, he told himself. He'd have to give them another talk about safety the next time he had a chance, he told himself.


	19. Chapter 19

It was a warm, early summer day when it finally happened. 

Ford's days off had, of course, altered dramatically for him with the arrival of Rhea. Errands and experiments were _of course_ still planned, but were obviously framed around spending time with Rhea and keeping watch over her. It was one such day that the farmer dropped by to check on them both. 

They arrived in the middle of "playtime" as it were. Rhea was at the right size to be properly toddling around and a well-meaning patient had gifted Ford with a child's walker for Rhea, something that she greatly enjoyed. Not that she was delighted to be walking around the clinic so much speedier, but she appeared to _love_ to be shoved around while sitting in it, squealing loudly in delight as she careened away in the walker, only to scoot right back and babble for whomever to do it again.

Jay had barely rounded the corner when Rhea rolled up, still squealing from her last push, Ford looking quite embarrassed at his desk as he watched from across the room. 

Rhea babbled at their feet and Jay simply giggled and gently pushed her back towards Ford, smiling as the toddler squealed in delight and excitedly burbled at Ford, hyped up beyond belief at this new development in her favorite game.

Quite a bit of time was lost that afternoon for the two of them, playing with Rhea like this. But eventually Jay had to bid farewell to them both. Jay couldn’t help but giggle at how Rhea waved back, awkwardly flailing in Ford’s arms as he gave his own terse nod in goodbye.

Jay was walking back to the farm to check on the animals and get back to work felling some trees that were old, and unwell, when their mind wandered back to their time at the clinic. They smiled to themself as they recalled how Ford had smiled, and laughed a genuine laugh when Rhea refused to be picked up, still wanting to be shoved back and forth across the floor. He'd gotten quite fatherly by then. 

He looked pretty handsome when he smiled, they thought to themself, recalling his parting grin.

Jay stopped in their tracks.

Oh _no_.

Oh no no _no_. _This wasn't happening_.

They suddenly recalled all the attention they'd directed towards Ford. Seeking _him_ specifically out for approval or congratulations after winning a contest, though it was more often than not followed up with brusque encouragement to try for harder challenges. The way their heart had hammered in their chest the first time they'd requested a dance from him, and the coy grin he'd flashed them at the end, that made their heart leap into their throat for a split-second before they let him go. How much attention they'd paid to their herb sproutings, tending carefully to the plants almost purely for the brief flashings of a genuine smile he'd give when gifted with the cuttings. How very flustered they'd grown when Ford had held them when they injured their hand. How they had stared while he sewed them back together.

_This wasn't in the plan_. Not that they'd ever _not_ had the thought of being romantic with _anyone_ in their plan, or that they were opposed to it with Ford, he actually didn't cut too terrible of a figure-

Jay shook their head. This was worse than they realised. They had to think about this.

* * *

It was about at the same time it hit Ford as well. 

He'd been working on a couple medications, pausing every now and then to play with Rhea when she grew restless. It was after he had accidentally pushed her towards Jay in her playscooter, and later still after they'd said goodbye. He had sat back at his desk and noticed the package of herbs they'd left for him again, "hope this helps!" was scrawled on the front of the package. He noted they were of good quality, and that they'd been paying close attention the other day when he'd mentioned offhand he was running low on mint again. He smiled absently as he put them away in his supplies, that familiar warmth settling in his chest. 

_Their thoughtfulness was something that he loved about them._

He froze, his blood suddenly running cold as it hit him.

Loved.

Somehow his head found its way into his hands as he suddenly viewed his many interactions with Jay in a new light. How his mood swayed so wildly when they visited him versus when they were too busy to see him that day. His preoccupation with whom they sought shelter with that rainy afternoon, and later with impressing them with refreshments. His growing focus on the minute details of their figure, like the way the bridge of their nose crinkled when they laughed uproariously, or the odd little mole almost perfectly centered on their collarbone, which they couldn't help but toy with when they grew anxious during contest judging. Or the funny little freckle he noticed on the very bottom edge of their palm the last time he'd checked on their hands, to make sure their wound had healed properly.

The rest of his afternoon was a blur as he tried not to panic, his experiments and medicine concocting falling by the wayside. He's never been in love before, is he sure that's what this is? But... what else could it be? He tried to figure out where it began, but soon realised he wasn't even certain of where these feelings ended as well. It was just… ooey-gooey thoughts about them… surrounded by all-enveloping warmth.

_Which made absolutely no sense, keep it together Ford._

He groaned and tried to pull himself together. He needed more time to think about this. He--…... He just needed to calm down, and think.


	20. Chapter 20

Ford frowned as he regarded his desk. None of this was _working_ and he couldn't tell where the fault lay. He let out a startled sound as he was suddenly embraced, and giggling could be heard behind him.

"Everything alright?" Jay asked.

He tried to keep his composure. Jay normally wasn't so… physical with him. But oddly he didn't mind it right then. "I'm missing… _something_. This isn't working, and I don't know _why_ ," he groused.

"Bet I could help," Jay replied.

Ford sighed. "I'm open to suggestions."

He groaned in quiet surprise as he felt their hands suddenly delve into his pants, his fly somehow already undone. "What?" He muttered in confusion.

Jay giggled from behind him again. " _Let me help_ ," they murmured, already stroking him.

Confusion and pleasure melded together in his gut as they toyed with him, making no move to stop them. They giggled in his ear and he could scarcely concentrate, his head growing foggy at how pleasantly melodic it sounded like this.

" _So excited already, Ford. You're going to make me blush_ ," they murmured, squeezing fondly.

"Oh _fuck_ ," Ford mumbled, oddly crass for him, even when swept up in the moment. 

Jay giggled again. "Such a dirty mouth," they teased.

"Sorry…" he sheepishly mumbled.

"Let go for me Ford, I know you're there."

Ford whimpered softly. "No. _Wait-_ "

Ford woke with a start, his breathing quick and startled. He could feel his pulse fluttering in his veins as the fog of sleep gradually left him.

Ford winced as he came around, a deep longing sensation lodged in his chest as he came to know the sticky sensation that glued his drawers to himself. His heart sank as what details he could recall from his dream, burned into his memory. _This is far from professional,_ argued one part of his mind. The other reminded him that he had no conscious control over any of this, there was no sense blaming himself for something he never intended to have wrought. So what if he was falling head over heels for a patient and close friend of his--

Ford sighed, holding his head in his hands as he sat up in bed. He needed to clean up.

Ford sighed, his hands covering his face in mortification after he changed to fresh boxers.

Oh _god_ , what would the farmer think if they saw him like this?

The rational part of his brain began with what on _earth_ scenarios would entail his friend seeing him undress in the middle of the night? The far _less_ rational bits threw out all sorts of wildly different ways for Jay to be disgusted at him, ranging from uncomfortable, to nauseated, to utterly bemused. His head grew dizzy with anxiety the more he thought about it. 

He tried to pull himself back together. There was no sense panicking over this at one in the morning. With a grimace he downed a small dose of his self-made sleep aid before settling back into bed, assuring himself his sleep would be far more restful, and utterly dreamless this time.

* * *

Jay woke with a start, their heart hammering in their chest as they tried to shake off the disconcerting vagueness of sleep in the darkness of their bedroom. Their cheeks burned as they silently began to recall what little they could of their dream.

Cornering him in his studio apartment, all alone. Coercing him back to his bedroom, where he was oddly more than interested in the licentious activities they suggested for the two of them. Ford believing he was in control up until they flipped it on him, and quite literally at that. His breath hot against their neck as he panted in their ear when they practically tore off his clothes, thin scratch marks appearing down his chest as they toyed with him. How he writhed against them… and ultimately, into them. Hearing him groan their name, his voice cracking with need as they sped up. 

Jay groaned, tugging their blankets up to hide their face. _What were they gonna do?_

Their mind raced with possibilities regarding how Ford could react if he ever found out. It's not that they were particularly _keen_ to tell him their dreams, much less such a lewd one. It was just he seemed to have an almost uncanny ability to tell what was on their mind some days. It was almost like he could read their mind, a possibility so mortifying that Jay got lightheaded at the mere thought. Eventually their thoughts circled so many times they wore themself out, falling asleep once more.

As the two of them slept in their separate beds and homes, the memory of their mortifying dreams faded, leaving behind only an awkward sense of shame that tinged their sparse meetings for the next week.


	21. Chapter 21

"Everything alright Jay? You look like you've been out of sorts the past few weeks," asked Wayne one afternoon.

"Hmmm? No I…. Yeah, I guess so."

"...Wanna talk about it?" Asked Wayne.

"No, it's-- don't worry about it, it's not important," Jay nervously mumbled.

"You're spilling seeds on the ground," Wayne pointed out.

Jay swore under their breath and put the seeds into their bag, carefully folding over the hole they'd worked into the package with their fingers on accident. "My… mind's been elsewhere, I guess…" they admitted.

"I can see that," said Wayne, a bemused grin on his face. "Are you sure you don't wanna talk about it?" Wayne asked again, concern almost instantly replacing bemusement.

Jay looked over their shoulder warily, checking to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. "Ugh, I… think I caught feelings for someone," they admitted.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess it's _not_ me since you're telling me this," said Wayne, a mock-frown on his face.

"Uhhhhhh..."

"Settle down Jay, I'm only teasing."

"You _know_ I'm bad at reading people about these things…" Jay murmured, hiding their face in their hands in embarrassment.

"Sorry sorry sorry," said Wayne, a small smirk on his face. "So're you gonna tell me or just stew about it?"

"......Promise you won't tell anyone else?"

"Cross my heart."

"......It's Ford," Jay mumbled. 

Wayne whistled. "Wow."

" _Wasn't exactly a conscious decision, Wayne,_ " the farmer hissed out, biting their lip out of nervousness.

"Settle down, I know. I was just ribbing you again. I'm glad to hear you finally admit it."

Jay mumbled something about inconsiderate mail carriers playing with emotions before they paused. "...What do you mean " _finally admit it_ "?"

Wayne paused. _Busted_ , he thought to himself before he cleared his throat sheepishly. "Just that, er… that you've been pining for the local doc?"

Jay's eyes narrowed.

"Come on, you haven't exactly been subtle…"

Jay groaned and covered their face. "No. No no no. Nononono, stop talking," they mumbled.

"Okay," said Wayne. "...So are you gonna tell him?" He asked not a minute later.

"...I don't know that I can," mumbled Jay, staring at a particularly interesting rock at their feet.

" _Well why not?_ "

Jay groaned quietly to themself. "It's-- I don't wanna make things… _weird_ between us…"

"...Did he give you the poop tea yet?"

" _You know what I mean Wayne_ ," hissed the farmer, gently shoving his shoulder as they glanced up at him.

"And I think you know what I mean too," said Wayne. "C'mon Jay, do you know how long it took him to hold _actual_ conversations with me and Brad? Even if he doesn't feel the same I bet the two of you are adult enough to keep being friends."

Jay sighed, not meeting his eyes.

"And if he isn't, Brad and I will harass him until the end of our days." 

Jay giggled at that, finally meeting Wayne's eye again. "......I'll think about it."

* * *

"Ah, Wayne, it's good to see you," said Ford, greeting the young man as he entered the clinic.

"Hey there Ford, is something up?" 

"Ah, no-- erm, well… I actually did... want to ask for your insight about a certain matter."

Wayne got an awkward sense of deja vu, but shoved that feeling aside. "...Sure Ford, what's the matter?"

"...When you develop a certain… attachment to someone, how would you describe the signs?"

"...Do you mean love?" Asked Wayne.

Ford was tellingly silent.

Wayne sighed, and regarded the ill-socialised mess that was the doctor. "...They tend to be on your mind almost constantly. And ya get butterflies in your belly after a bit when you're near them. You enjoy being with them, and miss them as soon as you're not… and sometimes can get jealous about it. "

"...Thank you Wayne, I believe that's all I needed."

"You gonna ask them?"

"Isn't that the, erm, next logical step?" Ford meekly replied, pretending that Wayne hadn't guessed it in one.

"...You been up to the vista recently? It's nice and quiet up there, rarely anyone else up there."

"...I'll make sure to keep that in mind, thank you Wayne."


	22. Chapter 22

Jay's heart lurched whenever they thought about the pendant in their bag. " _This is a mistake_ ," they thought to themself. Anxiety welled up at the thought of saying anything, making them sick to their stomach. But anxiety _also_ welled up at the thought of buying such an expensive item and not making use of it, to waste so much money on a whim. Maybe it'd be better if they'd just ignored it all…

Jay was so distracted by it all as they wandered aimlessly around Westtown, trying to figure out what to do, that they nearly ran straight into Ford as he exited Lisette's shop.

"Ah! Jay!" Ford stammered in surprise, looking oddly out of sorts. "You startled me--"

"Sorry!-- Sorry… wasn't looking where I was going…" Jay replied awkwardly.

"Ah… yes, it's, erm, it's fine. Actually I was just looking for you, do you mind accompanying me for a little bit? I promise not to take up too much of your time."

Nothing Ford said did anything to quell their thrumming anxiety, and they barely even heard themself agree before following him up the trail, to a spot with more privacy.

The wind blew faintly around them both as they reached the scenic vista, the light smattering of clouds keeping it from being too warm out in the open at least. 

Jay was used to exercise, but even though the short hike was nothing, they still found their heart hammering in their chest as they watched Ford gather his thoughts, panting softly as he looked at them.

“....Where to begin...?” He sighed, nervousness apparent in how he shifted from foot to foot and looked away. “Some time ago, you came to my domicile to escape a sudden downpour. After you arrived, we talked for almost an hour. Do you recall that?” He glanced at them. “That day, you happened to be nearby purely through chance…” He looked down at his feet before he continued. “...But the fact you chose _my_ abode to stop at made me quite happy. But, even more than the joy of seeing you, I felt relieved.” He crossed his arms nervously over his chest before he spoke again. “Or, to be exact, I breathed a deep sigh of relief knowing that you visited _me_ rather than any other man or woman. Relieved that you did not choose to go to some other person’s home.” He kneaded at the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I am quite aware of how very self-centered a thought that was. You are no one’s _possession_. You may go where you please, when you please. Of this there is no doubt.” Ford sighed again. “I was mystified as to why I had harbored such a thought… It puzzled me for an admittedly ludicrous amount of time. But it hit me… in an admittedly obvious fashion. Quite recently, in fact…” He bit his lip nervously as he met their eye once more. “Not that long ago, when you dropped by my clinic, and played with Rhea, you left behind some herbs for me. I noticed you had paid attention to my previous idle complaints about supply and quality, and had gone out of your way to give me the ones I was lowest on supply, that were of quite high quality. You have always been very attentive to these sorts of things…. Something I admire greatly about you. Erm, actually, more than that, I ah-- ...love that about you.” His hands shook as they clasped together nervously. “It struck me quite suddenly that these thoughts-- this _preoccupation_ with where you sought shelter back then, were quite in line with someone in love. A great many things fell into place with that realization.” He sighed as he worked up the nerve for his next words. “I realize there is quite a gap in our ages. You are still particularly young. And I am sure that you will meet many, _many_ more suitable candidates for romance in your life. Yet I cannot stop myself from asking this of you… Jay… Will you please love me? Love me and allow me to love you in return.”

Jay's heart hammered so loudly in their ears they could scarcely hear anything else as they stood there quietly, processing every single thing he’d said for an awkwardly long amount of time. "I-- you really mean it?" They eventually mumbled, insecurity obvious in their tone.

Ford paused, slightly taken aback. "...Of course," he assured. To prove this he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the traditional pendant, coiled up neatly.

Jay smiled, tearing up a little as they reached into their own bag to pull out their pendant, already quite hopelessly tangled up on itself.

" _ **Ah…**_ " Ford murmured quietly, his cheeks growing quite red as he sheepishly adjusted his glasses, “You… feel the same? I-- I see… I suppose that answers that… Jay…" He smiled fondly. 

"It-- ...it hit me too… at about the same time. I, um, was walking home afterwards, and was thinking about the way you smiled and laughed at Rhea while we were playing," Jay stuttered nervously. "You were so happy, and you looked at _me_ with that same smile, and I realized I wanted to keep seeing that smile, and I wanted to be the cause behind it. It hit me then that the weird, nervous feeling I was having whenever I was about to stop by wasn't just, um, normal anxiety. That I'd fallen for you… Starting a while ago..." Jay admitted. They fell quiet as they trailed off, their throat growing thick at the quietly adoring look he gave them at this admission.

Ford let out a quiet, airy laugh, sighing as he looked at them. "I am so… _relieved_ …" he quietly admitted.

"...You thought I might not?..."

"...It was a possibility…"

Jay blushed but shook their head. "Doesn't seem like a reasonable one to me…" they murmured so softly it was practically a whisper.

Ford gave a modestly incredulous chuckle. "If you say so," he murmured. He jumped ever so slightly as a thought struck him. “Ah… before I forget… in light of our new relationship status, is there a unique moniker you wish to go by now? Er…… a pet name, if you will...”

Jay smiled, suddenly so very shy at this entirely new development between the two of them. As if it made it all more tangible somehow. ".....You don't have to stop using my name, but…" they trailed off for a minute, glancing down at their own feet nervously. "I certainly wouldn't be opposed to you calling me "dear" too…"

Ford smiled down at them warmly, brushing a couple stray hairs from their face before he spoke. "Very well… _dear,_ " said Ford.

Jay smiled. "I'd ask if you wanted to walk me home, but it's a little far…"

Ford chuckled quietly. "I think I can manage it… dear."

Jay's heart skipped a beat at his fond tone, but still gave him a curious look. "But… What about picking Rhea up from Lisette? She's being babysat right now, isn't she?"

"Ah…" Ford faltered. He'd forgotten about that, and knew it wasn't fair to ask Lisette to watch her for so long out of the blue. "I did, erm, get a new carrying harness I've been meaning to try out.." he eventually muttered, a sheepish look on his face.

Jay smiled warmly and giggled. "Are you sure? I won't be insulted…"

Ford shook his head. "No, I, erm… don't want to part so soon," he mumbled, embarrassed to say it out loud.

Jay looked at their feet again, sheepish at his admitted fondness. "...Okay…"

* * *

Rhea giggled as Jay took her out of the pouch on Ford’s chest, babbling happily in their arms.

"Please, go ahead and take a seat, Ford, I'll get us something to drink."

"Ah… thank you dear." Ford tried not to show his exhaustion as he sat down, his knees giving out right as he did, flopping without grace onto the sofa seat with a grunt. He blushed at Jay’s giggle from the kitchen, but sighed in relief to be off his feet as he unhooked the pouch and set it aside.

Jay smiled at Ford’s quiet thanks for the iced tea when they returned, gently juggling Rhea around in their arms as she began to fuss the moment they sat down. “ _Alright_ , alright, I’ll get you something too, silly.” They hummed as they set Rhea down on Ford’s lap, and went to get her something to drink of her own.

“Alright, here you go you goober,” said Jay as they handed Rhea the sippy cup.

Ford smiled faintly down at Rhea, taking a sip from his own cup as she slurped on her juice. “When did you get sippy cups?” He asked.

“Ah… you left that one behind on accident the last time I watched her for a couple days,” Jay replied.

“Oh. I _thought_ it looked familiar…”

“You can take it back with you, if you’d like…”

“Ah, no, don’t worry about it. We have plenty back at the clinic. Besides… it’s convenient this way…” said Ford, trailing off with a sheepish mumble. The silent implication of spending more time with him, and by extension, Rhea, left hanging in the air.

“If you’re really sure…”

Ford nodded as they both fell silent. Rhea babbled as she sipped her juice, mimicking him every time he took a sip, a detail he couldn't help but absently smile at. Though he was so focused on Rhea, it didn't escape his notice when Jay began to rummage through their bag. "What are you looking for?" He asked.

Jay glanced up at him sheepishly. "...The pendant. I wanted to try to untangle it…" they murmured. Jay grew nervous as the silence stretched on, glancing up momentarily to see Ford watching them curiously. "You, uh, don't have to wear it if you don't want to, um, I still wanted to give it to you," they nervously prattled.

The slightest hint of a smile flashed over his face as he watched them, and he played with his glasses for a moment as he watched them a while longer. "May I try?" He asked, offering his hand.

Jay shrugged sheepishly, and set the tangled mess in his palm. They watched quietly as he methodically untwisted and untied the various knots and snags in the cord, his long and nimble fingers making quick work of it.

Rhea babbled, and reached for the necklace as he finished untying the last knot, spluttering in frustration as he moved it out of reach.

Jay giggled warmly at the sight, smiling fondly at the two of them.

Ford glanced up, and briefly mirrored their smile. "Would you mind, um?" Ford asked, gesturing with the necklace.

Jay blushed so lightly, but obliged, scooting nearer to him on the couch and leaning up to affix the clasp, their knees brushing against his. Jay's blush deepened a shade darker as they met his eye, so close their foreheads nearly touched, before they sat back down where they had been.

Ford smiled, both nervous and fond as he watched them a moment longer, before reaching into his coat pocket, and producing the other necklace. "Do you mind if I?"

Jay smiled and nodded. "I'd appreciate it a lot, thank you Ford."

Ford leaned into their space as they had done with him, his knees brushing theirs as his long arms encircled their shoulders while he met the clasp ends together. He mumbled quietly in frustration as his fingers fumbled, leaning close enough to press against them however slightly, so he could look over their shoulder to see where the fault lay. "There," he eventually murmured, slowly drawing back, but still very much so in their space. He paused as he loomed, gazing intently into their eyes. He found himself getting lost in them, the way they seemed to sparkle in merriment when they laughed. But at that moment they were as if twin clear ponds, drawing him in. He couldn't help but lean closer.

Rhea wiggled, and made a loud, playful noise, and suddenly he snapped out of it, his face going red as he settled back in his seat. "I!-- I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking…" he stuttered quite suddenly.

"Ah-- n--no, it's fine. I… don't mind..." replied Jay, smiling at him reassuringly.

"...If you're sure--"

Rhea babbled, wriggling out of Ford's lap, and crawling towards Jay's, effectively derailing any and all conversation.

"Oh you little _goober,_ _where did your cup go?_ " Jay cooed.

"I believe I see it underneath the table…" Ford murmured, moving to crouch and rummage beneath it to rescue the container.

"Rheaaa, did you take advantage of our distraction?" Jay teased.

Rhea babbled happily, grinning widely up at the farmer, then her dad as he sat down again.

"That sounds somewhat like a yes," said Ford. 

Rhea giggled again, clumsily reaching for Jay's necklace, her pudgy fingers catching on the cord.

"Oh! _Rheaaa_ ," Jay quietly admonished. Delicately they unclasped her fingers from their necklace, tucking the pendant into their shirt as soon as they freed it.

With a whine, Rhea fussed at this development, awkwardly pulling at Jay's shirt, and smacking their chest to try and retrieve the shiny thing.

Jay couldn't help but giggle at this, simply watching with a bemused smile as she tried to get it back. Their giggle graduated to laughter when they caught Ford's eye. His horrified face, and mortified blush struck them as oddly comedic at that time.

Ford cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, erm. Rhea **no** ," Ford admonished, picking her up out of Jay's lap after obscuring his own pendant. "That's _rude_ , Rhea."

She huffed and blew a raspberry up at him, before giggling.

"Ah, youthful rebellion," Jay joked, playfully tickling Rhea.

* * *

Jay frowned as they saw the two of them to the door. “Are you sure you can’t stay a _little_ while longer?” 

“I’m sorry dear, I unfortunately have a few more things I needed to take care of this afternoon. Besides…” He glanced down at Rhea, just barely beginning to nod off against his chest. “It’s nap time.”

“Darn,” Jay murmured, a smile flickering across their face as their hand brushed against his as they saw him out. “See you tomorrow?”

Ford smiled back. “Absolutely.”

* * *

"No way."

"I'm telling you I _saw_ _him_ walking with Jay out to the vista," insisted Wayne.

"If he actually got the nerve to ask them, I'm going to cook and eat my hat," muttered Brad.

"Well one of them is gonna have to, I'm not sure how long I can take both of them asking me for advice."

"And _another thing_ , why _you?_ I'm the one that's married," mumbled Brad, pouting heavily.

Wayne just quietly stared.

"Ouch," mumbled Brad.

Wayne rolled his eyes before gently elbowing Brad. "Well, well, well. Speak of the devil."

Ford had barely risen into view up the stairs, a tired Rhea napping against his chest in the harness.

"Hey Ford," called Wayne as the two men approached him.

"Have fun with Jay at the farm?" Asked Brad.

"...Your tone implies you're insinuating something."

"Noooo. Just curious."

Ford eyed the two of them warily. "Yes, Rhea and I had a nice visit, thanks for asking."

Brad silently mouthed 'told you so' at Wayne when Ford turned to leave.

"Oh," said Ford, turning back around. "I almost forgot. Thank you for the advice the other day, Wayne. It, erm… turned out they had the same idea, however."

"Oh? Well isn't that a funny coincidence."

"Mmmm," muttered Ford, giving Wayne a skeptical look before going back home to his clinic.

Wayne looked at Brad, smirking widely. "Got a good hat-sauce picked out?" He asked once Ford was out of earshot.

Brad rolled his eyes. "That confirmed _nothing_ Wayne, you're losing it."

It was Wayne's turn to roll his eyes, gently directing his friend to look at Ford once more. "Then what's that?"

Brad squinted, and finally noticed the shiny cord of a courtship necklace, caught around the back of his collar. "Well I'll be-- wait how did _you_ notice that, Wayne?"


	23. Chapter 23

Rhea had settled down for a nap a while ago, while Ford and Jay settled next to each other on the couch. As the days after their mutual confession passed, the physical space between them both had quickly shrunk between them, until it felt like it scarcely existed at all.

“Hey Ford?”

“Yes dear?” Murmured Ford.

“I know you asked me if I wanted a pet name… but I didn’t end up asking you the same, did I?”

“Ah… no, not that I can recall….”

“....Well, um... would you?”

Ford blushed, hiding it as he always did as he played with his glasses. “Er, not that I’ve given it much thought, but, ah…” He trailed off for a moment, glancing away as he quietly worked up the nerve. “I… wouldn’t oppose being called “sweetie” I suppose.”

Jay smiled, leaning fondly against his side with a hum. “Okay… sweetie.”

Ford's heart skipped a beat, his chest oddly warmed at this small gesture, his fingers fondly entwining with theirs when they went to hold his hand.

It was such a small gesture, their fingers tangled together, that oddly proved how quickly their trust in one another had grown. His gloves remained on, an odd habit, or a germphobic precaution? Jay didn't mind, and so they didn't question it. They still felt a little surprised at how close and comfortable Ford was with them. But then again, if they thought about it, it had been that way even before they were officially a couple. They remembered their first meeting and how dismissive he had been, and they couldn't help but giggle.

"Dear?" Ford asked, curious about their outburst. 

Jay waved it off, reassuringly squeezing his hand. "Just remembered something silly, that's all-- ah."

Rhea's fussy whimpers quietly arose from the crib nearby, signaling her waking.

Before Ford could even blink, the farmer was already up and taking her into their arms, cooing softly at her.

"Ohhhhh sweetheart, what's got you all riled up already?" They murmured, bouncing her gently in their arms as she babbled nonsense and half-words. They blushed in embarrassment when they met Ford's bemused look, an apology already worming its way out as he got up. "Ah…. Sorry sweetie, did you, um, want to?...."

Ford chuckled. "It's alright dear. She seems quite taken with you."

Jay blushed so very darkly at that, suddenly too shy to meet his eye as they continued to gently bounce Rhea, still fussing ever so slightly in their arms. "I'm… happy you think so. You're definitely her favorite though…"

Ford smiled, leaning down to nuzzle Rhea softly. "She doesn't have many options…"

Jay glanced at him. "...She's still very lucky, I think…"

It was Ford's turn to blush, glancing sheepishly down at Rhea. "Ah….. thank you, dear…."

Jay smiled warmly, turning their attention back to Rhea. "Alright cutie… what's got you so fussy? Do you need to be freshened up?" Jay peeked, coughing and chuckling almost immediately. "Yuuuup."

Ford chuckled, and gestured for them to hand Rhea to him. "I'll take care of that, dear," Ford murmured gently.

"Ah, okay sweetie, if you're sure."

He nodded curtly. "I did agree to take her on," he mumbled absently.

"...Doesn't mean I'm not allowed to help," Jay softly pointed out. 

Ford paused for a moment as he removed Rhea's diaper. "You aren't obligated to."

Jay giggled as they warmly watched him take care of his adopted daughter. "Who said it was out of obligation?"

Ford chuckled to himself. "Always a surprise…"

Jay rolled their eyes. "I'll pretend it's not a concern that assistance is so unusual to you…"

Ford chuckled again. "No, no. Not that the offer of help is unusual. Rather your… usual stubbornness to do so."

Jay let out a soft laugh. "Have to be stubborn to keep up with you," they murmured, squeezing his arm.

Ford blushed as he smiled while he finished up with Rhea. "My thanks for doing so."

"Anytime, sweetie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short and bad and I do not apologize for that.


	24. Chapter 24

Jay smiled absently at Ford as he wrote at his desk. It was raining again, starting not long after they had swung by for a visit, and they were waiting for it to clear before they could leave. Gentle, classical music played from a nearby speaker as they watched the rain patter against the window. It was very calm and serene. But if they were honest… it was also a little boring. 

"Hey Ford?" They eventually asked.

"Hmm? Yes, what is it dear?" He replied.

"Do you have a minute?"

A tiny smile peeked through as he scanned his work for a moment. "I suppose so, what is it?" He asked.

"Come here for a moment."

Ford stood and walked over to them, curious as to what they wanted.

Jay giggled softly and took his hand as they looked up at him. "Dance with me? Please?"

Ford chuckled softly. "Well if you insist…"

Jay giggled again, guiding his hands before pulling him closer. " _I am_ ," they murmured, as the two of them began to slowly sway to the music.

Warmth seemed to seep into every single pore as Ford silently regarded them as he danced with them. Their eyes were closed as they swayed with him, which luckily meant he could look at them without feeling so... self conscious. He couldn't help but mirror their smile. They fit together so well, and quite unconsciously, he thought, right before he gently stepped on their toes. " _Sorry_ ," he mumbled.

Jay shook their head as they giggled, squeezing him in reassurance. "I've lived through worse," they assured.

"I believe I am supposed to help _treat_ injuries, not cause them…" he mumbled.

“First time for everything,” Jay teased.

* * *

Eventually the song came to an end, and their swaying steps did the same, though they both stayed near, enjoying the closeness.

"...Thank you, dear…" Ford softly mumbled.

"Well I did owe you a dance," Jay murmured. 

"Hmm?" Ford asked.

"That one festival, you know, the time I messed up my ankle," Jay quietly reminded him. "I know you were looking forward to having a dance then."

"Mmm, yes, you are right-- how did you know? I don't recall telling you about that…"

Jay smiled into his chest. "Bev told me afterwards."

"Ah… I suppose I did mention it to her…" Ford fell silent for a few minutes. "I suppose… it really should have dawned on me back then."

"What should have?"

"My…… feelings towards you," Ford sheepishly mumbled.

Jay peeked up at him, their cheeks growing pinker as they smiled. "Worked out in the end…" they murmured.

Ford mirrored their smile and blush. "Yes… yes I suppose so," he agreed.


	25. Chapter 25

"I'm sorry dear, I'm a bit busy this afternoon," Ford muttered, rushing to and fro as he sorted research and tried to prepare medications at the same time.

"It's okay--" Jay started to say, before being interrupted by Rhea's annoyed babbling from her playpen.

Ford let out an exasperated sigh, frustration apparent on his face. "I have another patient coming in soon, and I _need_ to get this work settled by tonight, and she _won't stop fussing_. _She's been fed, changed, put down for a nap_. I've checked to make sure she's not in pain, she doesn't seem to have indigestion. But she _won't. Stop. Fussing,_ " he hissed, looking as taut as a stretched rubber band.

"Maybe she's bored?--" Jay began to say.

" _I don't have the **time** to_\--" Ford snapped, flinching at his own harshness, before deflating some, dragging his hands down his face in silent frustration .

Jay smiled a small and apologetic smile. "I can take her for a walk," they said.

Ford sighed deeply, taking off his glasses to knead at the bridge of his nose wearily. "It's alright, I know you're busy too, I can't ask you to--"

The bell above the door rang. "Dr. Ford, are you here?" Called out the patient.

"Come on Ford. _I promise to bring her back_ ," said Jay, the smallest hint of teasing creeping up in their tone.

"......If you truly don't mind. I, ah… thank you dear, I appreciate it greatly."

Jay flushed, bashfully scuffing the floor at his gratitude before they went to pick Rhea up. "It's no trouble, sweetie, I'll bring her back in a while. Come on Rhea, say bye to daddy."

Rhea giggled, squirming playfully in Jay's grasp in excitement to finally be getting attention. "Ba dada!" She yelled, giggling as Jay descended the stairs.

“What do _you_ think, Rhea? Pond or beach?”

Rhea gurgled playfully in Jay’s arms for a moment, wrinkling the fabric of their top with their pudgy hands. "Bebrr clohherr," she replied.

“You’re right, the pond is closer,” Jay replied. They waved at the few townsfolk that greeted them as they passed, ignoring the curious glances as they continued their conversation with Rhea as she babbled at them. “Yes, I have sunscreen _and_ a sunhat for you, I even have a blanket we can sit on,” they casually replied to her inquisitive babble.

"Gwarh vvvbr?" Rhea gurgled quizzically.

“Yes I _know_ I said we’d take a walk, but I think it’d be nice to sit by the pond for a little while, the weather’s nice out. Besides, you know taking you for a walk is really taking you for a carry, you little stickler.”

"Gwahrk!" Rhea gurgled more insistently.

“ _Jeeze_ , you really are Ford’s daughter…” Jay teased as they reached the pond. “Hang on for just a moment, I need to spread out the blanket.”

Rhea babbled happily to herself, clumsily reaching for a butterfly that fluttered by as Jay set everything up. She whined when the sunscreen was slathered on, but quickly forgot her upset as soon as she was handed one of her favorite soft toys.

“Hi Jay!”

Jay glanced up and smiled, nodding their greeting to Dessie as she suddenly showed up. “Hey Des’ how’re you?”

“I’m doing well. Ah! I see you have Ford’s little one with you. _Awwwww_ , hey there.”

Rhea stared curiously up at the harvest spirit, babbling quietly as she flopped her toy around.

Jay giggled, doing their usual check to make sure no one was watching before they replied. “Yeah, Ford was feeling a little overwhelmed so I offered to watch Rhea for a little bit. Just giving him a little space to breathe.”

Dessie smiled warmly, sitting nearby so she could continue cooing softly at Rhea. "Well that was kind of you, offering to take care of the little one all on your own," she said.

Jay shrugged. "Not like I mind it at all, she's a sweet kid. Super well-behaved too… when you have the time to play with her, that is."

Dessie continued to smile and coo at Rhea. “I’m sure Rhea would love to have you as a parent, and get to play with you like this all the time,” Dessie mentioned casually.

“Mhmm… I'm sure she would,” Jay mumbled nonchalantly.

"You're so patient and understanding of her, and she seems to genuinely like you," Dessie continued.

"Mmmhmm," Jay replied.

"I bet you'd make a great parent."

"Uh huh."

"Don't you think so too?" Dessie pressed.

Jay sighed, a bit more forcefully than they intended, glancing around again. "I just… it's still a bit early to be talking about this… it's a lot to consider. Watching over someone for an afternoon is different from being a parent to them for life... And I don't even know Ford's feelings on the whole thing," they mumbled, twirling a blade of grass between their fingers.

"Ah, of course, _sorry_ , sorry. I didn't mean to pry or assume…" Dessie apologized, sheepishly ducking her head.

Jay dismissed her apology with a wave. "It's fine. I just… it's a big step for me."

"You're right, I'm sorry, I shouldn't press you because I got excited..." Dessie apologized again, not meeting Jay's eye.

"Bad sad, da-n!" Rhea burbled, slapping her stuffed animal on the blanket a few times with a frown.

" _Rhea!_ Who taught you to talk like that?" Jay playfully admonished.

"....I should get going. Thanks for chatting Jay!" Said Dessie quite abruptly. She waved her farewell to them both, before she disappeared, the faintest flash of light signalling her teleportation away as usual.

Jay sighed softly, before turning their attention back to Rhea, finally noticing her intent and distressed look. "Yes Rhea?"

She burbled, before awkwardly crawling over and clambering into their lap, babbling nonsense as she pressed her face against them.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry. It's not that I wouldn't _want_ to be… I just get scared at the idea of new things, especially if it's something I want," Jay murmured gently, rubbing soothingly at her back as she clung.

"Wreeen," Rhea babbled into their chest.

"Sorry, Rhea, got a little bit of a bad brain."

"Bad bain!" Rhea babbled more forcefully, slapping at Jay's thighs as she looked up at them, a frown on her face.

"I agree, but what can I do?"

She blew a raspberry before sticking her hand in her mouth, chewing on her fist with an annoyed sound.

"Oh, don't do that, I brought snacks for you to chew instead of yourself," Jay murmured soothingly, reaching into their bag.

Rhea fussed on their lap, until she saw the small bag of snacks, babbling much more happily as Jay opened it.

"Don't tell dad, alright? I know he thinks they're massively unhealthy somehow," said Jay, giving her the baggy of puffs, smiling fondly at how giggly and happy Rhea got over them.

Rhea babbled to herself as she snacked and sat in Jay's lap, crunching away as they sat together in the sun.

"Well hey there Jay, how's my favorite nibling doing?"

Jay smiled, nodding up at Frank as he walked up. "Can't complain. Stole a baby." They playfully lifted up Rhea, who babbled happily up at him, still gnawing on her snack.

"I can see that," said Frank, chuckling softly. "How's Ford been?"

"He's feeling a little stressed today. 'S why I'm keeping an eye on Rhea for a bit. Giving him a little more space to decompress," Jay replied. "Wanna take a seat? There's plenty of blanket to go around."

Frank shook his head. "Naw, unfortunately I've got other errands to do today. Tell Ford I said hi when you see 'em, could ya?"

"Will do."

Rhea waved at Frank as he left, babbling her goodbye as he walked away.

"We should definitely drop by and pester uncle Frank sometime soon, don't you think so?"

Rhea nodded very excitedly. She loved visiting anyone that had animals for her to play with and pet, and she especially loved climbing all over and playing with Frank's dog.

All too soon Jay felt the chill of the growing breeze, and decided it might be time to end their little impromptu picnic. "Hmmmmm…" Jay mumbled as they folded the blanket back up. Rhea had grown tired, and they'd decided she might as well be put down for her nap, and they'd just noticed how overcast it had gotten. "Hey Rhea, how about we go back to the farm for your nap?"

"Nnn-- no nap!" Rhea fussed, interrupted by a yawn.

"...Okay, how about we go back to the farm and lie down?" Jay murmured instead, picking up the fussy toddler in their arms.

Rhea continued to fuss at this as Jay put away their things, but eventually she gave up, her complaints slowly replaced by longer and longer yawns as she grew sleepy in Jay's arms as they carried her.

"I don't know that I like the look of these clouds…" Jay quietly mumbled as they reached their home, setting their bag down as they went to get Rhea's bed ready.

They had managed to put Rhea down for a nap, and put their animals away early as a precaution when the sky finally opened up like it was threatening to do, the heavy rain loudly beating down on the roof. Jay didn't think much of it until a few hours later, when the rain still hadn't let up, and didn't show promising signs of stopping.

Jay sighed as they dialed the phone.

"Jay? Is that you?" Came Ford's voice from the other end of the line.

"Yep, hey sweetie, I just wanted to check in, and let you know I'm gonna kidnap Rhea for the night, the rain doesn't seem to want to let up."

"Ah, you don't have to do that dear, I can come by and pick her up-"

"Don't you _dare_ Ford. Look at the weather outside. I don't want either of us getting hurt."

They could hear him roll his eyes. "I believe I know how to walk in the rain--" he tried to reason.

"Would you give me a talking to for coming to see you in this weather?"

He… couldn't argue with them there. Ford sighed, and quietly conceded their point. "...I suppose I can see your logic…"

"I'll bring her over after breakfast tomorrow. It's okay, I have supplies," Jay promised.

Rhea pouted from her play space as Jay spoke on the phone, upset to not be the center of attention as she had enjoyed for several hours. With a tiny grunt of determination, she pulled herself up onto her feet, and toddled over to Jay.

"-- _yes_ , I have plenty of diapers Ford. Yes sweetie, I think we'll be able to scrape by somehow on only twenty-- oh!" Jay startled as Rhea tugged at their pants cuff, frowning up at them. "Hello there Rhea, I'm sorry, I'm just letting daddy know you're okay."

Rhea squinted up at them, a little suspicious because she didn't _see_ any daddy anywhere.

"Do you want to talk to him?" Jay asked, picking her up and handing over the phone.

Ford considered himself lucky there was no one else around to see the goofy grin he wore as he heard Rhea's confused babbling over the phone. "Hello Rhea, are you behaving for your wren?" He asked in a gentle tone.

Rhea gave a happy shriek, and waved the phone around, now very interested at how she could _hear_ daddy, but not _see_ him.

It took Jay a moment to react and gently grab the phone back from her, a bit caught off-guard by Ford's slip of the tongue. " _Okay_ , okay, taking that back for a moment. Ta-da! Let's use the speakerphone the way it's supposed to be," cooed Jay, setting the phone on the table in front of them.

"Oh dear, was someone being mischievous?"

"Nnnnno, just, um, _excited_ ," Jay replied, carefully juggling the toddler from arm to arm as she squirmed.

"Mmmhmm."

"Dada here?" Rhea asked.

Ford chuckled softly. "I'm sorry dear, I'm not here. I'm still at the clinic. You're going to have to stay with wren tonight, and behave. Alright Ree-Ree?"

Rhea blew a raspberry in response.

" _Rhea_ ," Ford chided, his smile wholly apparent in his fond tone.

"...Okay dada," Rhea eventually agreed. " _Down_." She demanded.

"Okie dokie sweetheart," said Jay, watching as she toddled back to the blanket.

Ford's chuckle crept softly out of the phone when Jay picked it back up. "Yes-- ahem, was there anything else you needed to discuss?" He asked.

"Well…" Jay mumbled before trailing off. Something about their conversation with Dessie earlier had stirred something in them. "I did talk to you already, about the term "wren" right?" They asked.

Ford replied after a brief pause. "...Yes, if I recall correctly you consider it a non-gendered replacement for "mother" or "father," that Rhea may use for simplicity right now."

Jay smiled to themself. They were glad he'd retained the gist of their awkward explanation, even if his regurgitation of the definition was a little on the clinical and sterile side.

"Why do you ask?" Asked Ford.

Jay paused, biting their lip nervously for a moment before they could bring themself to speak. "Ah-- w--well… Ford... you just called me "wren" a little while earlier…"

Ford stammered. "Ah, erm. I did? Well, ah. It's been a long day, and erm--"

"It's okay Ford, it… wasn't a complaint," Jay murmured.

"Dear?"

"We can-- ...we can talk about it later, when I return Rhea, maybe."

"...If that is what you would like, dear," Ford murmured softly over the phone.

"Yeah… yeah I would."

* * *

Jay checked on Rhea one last time before they headed to bed that night, frowning to themself as they found her shivering and curled up under her blanket. "Is something wrong sweetie?"

"...Scared……" Rhea mumbled.

"Honey, you've slept here before…" Jay tried to soothe, gently stroking down her back.

Rhea shook her head with a whimper, pulling her blanket tighter around herself as thunder boomed in the distance.

Jay sighed, quietly understanding as the house creaked and groaned. "Would you feel safer in bed with me?"

Rhea nodded enthusiastically, eagerly clambering into their arms when they bent down to pick her up.

Jay cooed gently at the young girl, nuzzling soothing kisses to her forehead as they helped her settle under the covers on their bed instead. "It's alright sweetheart, I'm here. You're not alone…"

Rhea mumbled happily, hiding her face against Jay as she nuzzled as close as she could get.

Jay sighed to themself as they watched the small girl settle, nuzzling into the hollow of their armpit with a yawn. They understood how even Ford could grow attached to her… they shook their head, dispelling that thought. They knew how _especially_ Ford could grow so attached to her.

Jay yawned as they began to drift off, the pattering of rain on the roof, and distant thunder growing quieter and quieter. They'd have to… remember to talk to Ford… about them and Rhea… in the morning...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updates are probably gonna slow to a crawl for now because my brain has just broken rn and I don't have the wherewithal to edit chapters like this


	26. Chapter 26

"Uuuuuugh," groaned Beverly, letting the door shut behind her before she walked over and flopped face-first onto the couch.

"Hi Bev, it's nice to see you. Come on in and make yourself at home!" Jay teasingly called from the kitchen.

" _Thanks_ ," Bev replied, her voice muffled by the cushion.

"What now?" Asked Jay, taking a seat in the nearby armchair.

"I swear I'm gonna scream if one more guy asks me out after I say I'm not interested," growled Bev.

"Oof," said Jay with a sympathetic wince.

""I'm a guy, you're a girl, what else do I have to say?" The _hell_ does any of that have to do with anything?" She hissed.

"I don't know that straight people are particularly bright," offered Jay.

Bev sighed, sitting up. "How the heck do _you_ deal with this?" She asked. 

Jay laughed softly. "Well I didn't opt to be either option to target, so."

"Uuuuuugh, you _cheater_ ," grumbled Bev.

"Be quiet, you're gonna blow my cover," joked Jay. "Never too late to join the party you know, and have more reasons to feel like kickin the world's ass."

"Like I need another thing to have to explain to my folks," Bev muttered with a groan.

Jay shook their head. "They're still giving you a hard time? Even after you showed them the charts?" They joked.

She rolled her eyes before pulling herself upright. "Topic change, _please._ What'cha making?"

Jay laughed. "Makin some jellies outta the extra fruit that wasn't pretty enough to sell."

"Oh _that's why_ it smells like a fruit arrangement exploded in here."

"I'll take that as a compliment, yes that's why it smells like fruit fart in here."

"Aren't you supposed to stir it constantly so it doesn't get scorched or something?" Bev asked.

Jay rolled their eyes. "Way past that part now. I just started sealing the jars."

"Oh god are they gonna do the thing where they explode and junk?"

"Not for a couple hours," chuckled Jay.

Bev breathed a sigh of relief, before nearly jumping out of her skin at the loud POP from the kitchen. " _ **Jay!**_ "

" _That_ was one of the ones from this morning."

" _You suck,_ " mumbled Bev, hugging one of the comforter cushions to her chest.

"I also swallow."

"Uuuugh! Jay!" Groaned the young woman, hiding her face in the comforter. "You're gonna kill Ford or something if you say something like that in earshot of him," she murmured.

"...Kinda already did," Jay mumbled back.

"......Oh my god what'd _he_ do?"

"...I shouldn't……" 

" _Pleaseeeee?_ I promise not to tell anyone, cross my heart!"

Jay sighed and glanced over at Beverly, whose eyes positively sparkled as she gave them a pleading smile, her hands clasped together. "Uuuuugh. Okay, so, he kinda glowered at me and the people I was snarking at and warned us against being so crass in public."

"...And in private?" Bev pestered, directing every drop of charm at the farmer. 

"Nnnn… When we got back to the clinic he got… really red in the face and flustered and said he wasn't sure his heart could withstand me saying that, even as a joke-- do _not_ tell anyone that," said Jay, their cheeks cherry-red as they emphasized this point.

Bev stared at them for a minute, before she sighed and hung her head in mock-despair. "You guys are so cute it's nauseating," she declared.

Jay stared at her for a moment in return, before sighing and grabbing the spare throw pillow and lightly beaning her in the head with it.

"Ow-- _hey!_ "

"There's plenty more where that came from if you don't keep it a secret," Jay threatened.

"Okay! Okay! I'll take your guy's cuteness secrets to the grave, I swear!" Yelped Bev with a giggle.

"See that you do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _the return of Bev_


	27. Chapter 27

"I didn't see you yesterday, or the day before, come to think of it," Ford mumbled into their embrace.

Jay winced a little, avoiding his eye. "Ah, that's right. I, erm… my mother was in town, visiting…" Jay quietly mumbled, trailing off.

Ford nodded absently. "Ah, of course, that must have been the older woman I saw in town the other day," he murmured.

Jay nodded as they remained silent.

Ford considered them a moment, remembering something that had pestered him for a while now. "Dear… you mentioned off-hand a while back that your own parents don't know your age, do you mind if I ask what you meant by that?"

Jay sighed, absently playing with his shirt as they continued to lean against him on the couch. "My folks aren't particularly… interested in me, not… usually," they quietly admitted.

"...What exactly does that entail?" Ford gently asked.

Jay sighed. "...Lemme put it this way. You know I lived with them up until I moved out here? Favorite thing was the year they forgot my birthday, got reminded by my aunt, and then dad spent the late birthday dinner I wasn't interested in having anyways, talking about his plans for my brother's birthday that they'd started making months in advance," said Jay.

Ford was quiet as he listened to Jay, his hand absently stroking their hip. "I believe I'm beginning to get the picture, dear," he murmured.

Jay sighed again, absently kneading at their eyes as they grew misty. "M'sorry for being a bit of a downer, Ford…"

Ford shook his head, squeezing them against him gently. "It's nothing to apologize for. Thank you for trusting me. I'm more than willing to be a sympathetic ear if there's anything troubling you," he murmured.

Jay giggled to themself. "That's a dangerous thing to offer Ford. I'm liable to never shut up."

Ford rolled his eyes, but not out of derision. "It would be more than understandable if you did," he gently assured regardless.

"You'd get tired of it eventually."

"Absolutely not."

Jay giggled. "Careful, I might take that as a challenge."

Ford scoffed. "I may physically grow weary, but I see no concrete reason why I would ever grow tired of _you_."

Jay blushed deeply. "Oh that's _no fair_ , you cheater."

He chuckled. “Oh? I’ll have to review the rules again…”

Jay laughed at that, peeking up at him with an earnest smile. “Thanks, Ford.”

Gently he cupped their cheek, flashing them a brief smile before he let his hand drop again. "Anytime, dear," he murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> turns out working retail in the middle of a global pandemic kinda kills your ability to write and edit fic, who knew?


	28. Chapter 28

It was late one summer afternoon when the incident occurred. 

Jay had suggested a picnic by the lakeside, a perfect excuse to get Rhea some fresh air. They took her on ahead with them, what with Ford needing to finish some paperwork first before he could join them. The farmer had set everything up and let Rhea enjoy herself with her toys as they scanned through an old book of theirs while they waited. It was a nostalgic favorite from their teens they had trouble putting down to that day. They were in the middle of their favorite scene when Barkley showed up.

The large brown bear lumbered into view quite silently, slowly walking towards the two of them. He was oddly silent for such a large animal, only Rhea noticing him, and even this was only once he loomed over them both. She stared up at the large bear, tilting her head and smiling when he did the same. She waved her toy at him for a moment before remembering her snack, grabbing the carrot sticks eagerly with her still-pudgy fingers.

Barkley perked up at that, staring closer at her and inspecting the treat with a snuffle before licking it up from her fingers.

Rhea giggled wildly as the bear delicately took the offered snack from her hand, eagerly grabbing more carrots to repeat the process and giggling even louder the second time.

Jay glanced up from their notebook at Rhea's giggling, doing a double take for a moment. " _Barkley! No!_ Shoo! Go on!"

The bear ducked, looking as sheepish as he could before backing away.

"I _saw_ you catching all that fish earlier. It's not even time to bulk up for hibernation yet. You are _far_ from hungry, you greedy gus." Jay chided the bear as he walked back to the trees.

Rhea pouted, frowning up at Jay as the several hundred pound animal she was playing with disappeared from sight. She huffed in disappointment before clumsily reaching for her snack again.

"Ah-- wait. Lemme just clean you off real quick," Jay mumbled, mostly to themself as they took out a wipe and cleaned off Rhea's hands, making goofy faces at her as she fussed.

Ford finally snapped out of the horrified daze that had struck him as he watched it all go down. He was on his way to join their little outdoor excursion when he'd seen the bear lumber out of the foliage, nearly wetting himself in terror as fear rooted him to the spot while he watched the beast approach his daughter and beau. He was confused but relieved when the animal backed down at Jay's chiding, and retreated to the underbrush once more, though he couldn't shake the unease that he felt knowing they were likely still nearby. With shaky steps he finally walked up to meet them. "H--hello dears," he stammered. 

Jay glanced up nervously. "H-- ...hey Ford." _He hadn't seen that, had he?_ They thought to themself. One look into his panicked eyes told them all they needed to know. They sighed as they gestured for him to sit. "Take a seat before you fall over."

Ford nodded numbly, stumbling as his wobbling knees threatened to utterly go out before he could sit down. "Y--you are both okay?" He stammered. 

Jay smiled, and took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We're okay sweetie," they assured him.

"Y--you could have…" Ford mumbled, still very rattled by the experience.

Jay gently stroked their thumb over the back of his hand. "Barkley's harmless, he's just… a bit of a space case…"

" _ **H--he is a 1200 pound bear--**_ " Ford hissed.

Jay gently squeezed his hand again. "He's more like 800 pounds," Jay gently joked. They sighed, leaning against his shoulder as he failed to lighten up at their humor. "If there was any danger to Rhea I would have snatched her up immediately," Jay assured him.

" _And what about you?_ " Ford hissed, frowning intently.

Jay repeated his sigh, shaking their head. "Could you just trust me, that in this case there isn't any excessive chance of danger?"

"... _excessive?_ " Ford prodded.

Jay chuckled softly. "I'm not gonna even try and argue about zero danger, just about every living being has the ability to be dangerous, 'specially a several-hundred pound bear. I'm not asking you to bend over _this_ far backwards."

Ford let out an irritated sigh. "How can you be so oblivious?" He muttered angrily. 

Jay shrugged and stood up, walking behind Ford. "Barkley, what'd I just say? Go on, you're being a nuisance."

Ford felt his blood run cold as he slowly turned his head and finally noticed the large bear sitting a few feet behind him. He watched in renewed confusion as the bear slowly stood back up at Jay's nagging and lumbered into the trees again, followed by Jay as they made sure he walked away this time.

"Barkley was handled and fed by curious locals since he was a cub. He doesn't know to be wary of people. What do you think would happen if we had a legitimate animal control center out here?" Asked Jay.

Ford sighed. "He'd be most likely put down," he replied.

"How many bears do you think still live in the area these days?" Jay asked.

Ford was silent. 

"He has cubs… the mother wasn't handled like he was, she knows to be wary, and is likely teaching them the same, but there's nothing that can be done about Barkley."

" _So I am supposed to feel **fine** and that it was acceptable to find my daughter playing with a wild animal of that size?_" 

Jay sat next to him again on the blanket. "No. I'd be more than upset and scared in your position, and I'm sorry for being distracted in the first place. I'm just explaining why _I_ was less than scared by the large bear being so close," said Jay, picking absently at the blanket beneath them.

Ford sighed. "Just… let's not let this happen again."

Jay nodded sheepishly as they squeezed his wrist. "Do you want anything to eat? Or drink? I packed snacks."

Ford swallowed nervously as he shifted where he sat. "I-- believe this may have been a bit too much excitement for me, I should actually…... get back to my clinic now…" 

Jay looked at him curiously. 

Ford could feel his face go red as he avoided meeting their eye. "Th-- ah… _Barkley_ startled me that second time, and I… lost control of myself for a moment," he mumbled.

"......Would you like to go back to my farm?" Jay whispered. 

"I… think I would rather go home. M--my labcoat should…" Ford whispered in admission.

Jay nodded in silent understanding. "Hey Rhea, how about we head back home now?" 

Rhea pouted, crossing her arms in a huff. "No!" She protested.

"I'll draw you two dragons in your notebook," they offered.

Rhea pouted for another several minute, thinking long and hard about it. "Five," she haggled.

"Three, and I'll draw you a funnyman too."

She considered this for another minute before nodding, allowing Jay to pick her up. 

Jay giggled softly at that, picking her up and setting her to the side as they folded the blanket up and repacked their bag.

"Ah, the, um," Ford mumbled as they put away the blanket. 

"It's folded in the center, and in a separate pocket with a liner, I was planning on washing it at your place," said Jay, picking Rhea up again.

"Ah, r--right," he mumbled, wincing with a disgusted grimace as he fidgeted where he stood.

"Sure you don't wanna clean up at my place?" Jay asked.

"We are equidistant to either house, I'd-- I would honestly rather prefer going to my home," Ford muttered.

Jay nodded in quiet understanding, squeezing his hand in reassurance. 

Ford remained stoic and silent the entire walk back, his scowl unwavering as he focused solely upon reaching his domicile unbothered. He couldn't help but breathe a quiet sigh of relief when he passed over the threshold of his clinic, a disgusted shiver running through him.

"Dragons!" Declared Rhea. 

Jay laughed. "Okay, okay. Three dragons coming up."

Ford paid them little mind, already making his way upstairs to his dreamed-of shower.

"Ah-- Ford!" Jay called after him. "I'm gonna set up a load to wash, go ahead and leave it by the door and I'll add it to the soak!"

Ford blushed, clearing his throat to cover his stutter. "A--of course, if you would like!"

"Green!" Insisted Rhea.

Jay laughed softly. "Alright, one green dragon, coming up."

* * *

Jay swore softly to themself. It had taken longer than they intended to draw Rhea her promised drawings, and they still needed to retrieve Ford's clothes before they were done setting up the wash. They considered themself lucky that Ford was both a perfectionist and a bit of a clean-freak, meaning he'd be in the shower for a while. They knocked softly before they stuck their head in. The room was filled with steam, making it hard to see anything at all. Jay glanced by the door, sighing as they couldn't see his clothes. Of course it had slipped his mind as soon as he thought about cleaning up. They shook their head as they quietly stepped in, glancing to and fro.

It didn't take them long to spot where they were instead, discarded in an oddly neat pile on the floor further into the room, ontop of another towel just in case. They rolled their eyes as they grabbed the dirty clothes, squatting for a moment to grab the socks that escaped their grasp.

While Jay was busy with his clothing Ford quietly opened the shower. He tousled his hair dry as he went to pick up his fresh clothes. He was about to start dressing when he glanced over his shoulder, finally noticing a blurry something he hadn't seen before in the center of his bathroom. He frowned and turned around to get a better look.

Jay glanced up as they stood back up, suddenly finding themself face to face with Ford, having just recently stepped out of the shower.

Ford stood there, squinting without his glasses, his towel still draped over his head with his fresh clothes in hand.

Jay fell silent for a moment, their face going red as they hurriedly turned back around. "Sorry! Sorry, I'll leave," they stammered, rushing out the door and shutting it behind them.

Ford continued to stare where they had just been standing, dumbfounded for a couple moments longer, clothes still in hand. He shook his head as he tried to brush it off. It was nothing to worry himself over, he tried to reassure himself. He recalled they had just seen him wet himself, and were now washing his clothes for him. 

_And they had just seen…_ Ford felt his face grow even hotter at the thought as he glanced down at himself, despite his assurances that they were both mature adults.

He tried to reassure himself as he dressed. It wasn't something awkward. It wasn't as if he hadn't also seen… their body… 

Oddly the thought appeared to do little to calm him down, his face still red when he finished, his heart hammering in his chest. 

He took several indulgent minutes to finish getting dressed again, taking extra care when brushing his hair and smoothing out every layer of clothing. Despite his procrastination his cheeks remained pink when he finally stepped out of the bathroom, much to his chagrin. Ford was distracted when Rhea came barrelling around the corner to greet him, jumping in surprise before smiling down at her with a long-suffering sigh.

She giggled as he picked her up, smiling widely before she got a good look at his face. "Daddy sick too?" She asked with a confused look.

Ford frowned, mirroring her confusion "Sick?" He asked.

Rhea pointed towards the table as he carried her to the living room. "Daddy's red like wren!"

He glanced over at the table where Jay was finishing a bonus dragon for Rhea, their eyes meeting for a moment before Jay looked away, chuckling softly as they continued to blush. He chuckled sheepishly in response, his nerves calming at the smile on their face.

"Daddy?"

He shook his head, and smiled at Rhea. "It is nothing to be worried about Ree-Ree, I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to god this chapter was like 350 words when I started it last year  
> *edit* WHOOPS ALSO HAPPY 1 YEAR FIC ANNIVERSARY


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